Nothing's Fair in Love and War
by TeamAwesomeLives
Summary: With the fall of Thanos, the revolution has already dealt a heavy blow to the Capitol's reign of tyranny. But even as the Capitol is in its death throes, Hydra is gaining power and trying to fill the vacuum left behind.
1. Million Dollar Kid

**Welcome to Part Four of our little universe! We hope you're enjoying what was have so far. :)**

Chapter 1: Million Dollar Kid

* * *

 _July 20_

 _SHIELD Base Two_

* * *

The intel that had come in wasn't the best of news, and Fury wasn't exactly excited to share it, but he knew it was the kind of thing that couldn't just be left alone.

Stark had been successfully blocking all of the Capitol's broadcasts from going any further than the Capitol itself, but news was leaking out all the same. Ronan was healed enough to make threats not only to the kids that he'd had in his grasp, or even to the rest of those in Tahiti but also to Mac — and the new president was stepping in personally to aid in the hunt.

So far, they were entirely off base and looking the wrong way, which he was glad to see, but with Mac asking to join in the fight as more of a regular combatant, he needed to know all of the risks that were on the table. The worst of which, of course, was the bounty on his head.

He had been waiting just a few minutes before the Hudsons arrived in his office, both of them wearing identical looks of concern — afraid that they were getting more bad news on Logan, no doubt. "Thank you for coming to see me so quickly," Fury said as he gestured for the couple to take a seat. "There have been a few new developments you should be aware of."

The expression Heather was wearing was hard to misinterpret, though, so Fury quickly cleared the air. "Logan is fine. Last I heard, he was holed up in the woods ignoring the outside world."

Heather let out the breath she'd been holding and glanced at Mac before she nodded. "Well if it's not him, then what's going on?" she asked.

"Facial recognition identified your husband to Ronan," Fury said. "Not that it was hard to come by, considering his extensive file on record with the Sentinels. What we didn't expect was that he had apparently done a lot of research on Logan — and he's figured out the familial connection. You're near the top of his hit list."

Heather looked downright concerned as Mac raised an eyebrow. "How near?"

Fury looked between the two of them and kept Mac's gaze. "Right below Logan."

Mac seemed to think it over before he just nodded and shrugged. "Sounds about right."

"Oh, there it is," Fury said sarcastically. "Now I see the family resemblance. All stubborn and 'bring it'."

"Well what else do you want me to do about it? I'm not going to apologize to that creep, and I'm not going to stop making life miserable for him."

"No, and you shouldn't," Fury agreed. "I just … couldn't see it until today." He let out a sigh and shook his head. "I just wanted to let you know so you could adjust your commitment to the fight if need be — and also to let you know that apparently something that your cousin said seemed to have gotten Ronan a little more … pushy than usual. He's joined in the hunt himself."

"Of course he did," Heather said, sounding almost annoyed. "What on earth got him so…" She waved a hand. "Wound up?"

"Logan called both Ronan and Thanos cowards to their faces," Fury told them. "For hiding behind their guards. He seems to have taken it to heart."

"He's not wrong," Mac said unapologetically as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"So Ronan decided to step up to the forefront," Heather said, shaking her head before she glanced at Mac with the slightest smirk. "I should have come with you and made sure you finished the thing properly."

Fury looked more than a little surprised at that. "I'm reasonably sure that at least one of you will want to stick around to take care of those kids …"

"Did I say I wasn't planning on coming back?" she accused Fury.

"No, ma'am," he said, shaking his head. "But if you insist on hunting down the royals with the rest of them, I'm going to insist that only one of you is in the field at a time."

She tipped her head at him for a moment and then nodded. "Fair enough."

"You also may want to put in some training with Agent May," he suggested. "To take it a step above the Sentinel training I'm sure your husband taught you."

"I think I will, thank you," she said decisively.

"Seeing as he's threatening your two favorite guys," Mac said under his breath her way.

"Which you know I won't stand for," she whispered his way with a little smirk as she squeezed his arm.

"Then I'll let you know if I have any missions coming up that you could try out," Fury agreed. "In the meantime, I think that Tony Stark may want to work something up for you. He's been on a roll making individualized weapons. Coulson will take you down to his workshop soon."

"Yes, Skye did tell me about Tony Stark's toys," Heather said with a little grin.

"Then you know how specific he tends to be," Fury said with a nod. "Be careful, both of you."

* * *

 _July 21_

 _In the Capitol_

* * *

It was amazing, Natasha reflected, how single-minded obsession could make her job so much easier.

With Ronan occupied with revenge, he was relying on Natalie for just about everything. Details, intelligence gathering — when he wasn't meeting with generals trying to bring the districts to heel, he was out actively searching for Logan, Mac, and anyone else on his list, so the everyday operations more or less fell to her.

Which was the way she wanted it, really. SHIELD was making huge inroads into Hydra with Natasha sending them Capitol intelligence on both sides. And as for the kids — Natasha had figured out fairly quickly where they were, and every single bit of data she handed Ronan sent him elsewhere ... or elsewhen, in some cases.

Facial recognition had picked up Mac Hudson exactly where Natalie's intelligence had said he would be — but earlier than she'd indicated. More than likely, Ronan had passed Mac flying out with his team — a couple victors and some younger kids they were training — on the way out of District Five after a good raid on Hydra.

And if the reports Natalie was seeing were true, then the inevitable had happened: Ronan lost his temper. And Hydra was hurting because of it, since if he couldn't have his prize, he would at least leave destruction in his wake.

She had to be careful not to play that card too often, but it was still almost enjoyable to send him off to drop him like a bomb on Hydra. He had no idea — and she kept it that way. At least, it was enjoyable sending him off and reading the reports — but when he came back in all huffy over being 'just barely too late' again, he was a _pain_ to deal with.

He was already snipping at his lieutenants for not flying fast enough or not prepping fast enough before they left or whatever else he could think to blame them for — and she knew she was probably next on his parade of people to yell at, so she just started out with a little stack of reports before he could get rolling.

"Facial recognition picked him up on his way out, and we were able to track the jet up until it hit SHIELD airspace. The technical division still can't penetrate their blackout devices, though — so we don't know where he went after that. SHIELD jets aren't flying back in a pattern, either — the last one we tracked when in totally the opposite direction before we lost it." She said the whole thing in a rush, and while he was still clearly upset, it was enough to make him pause — if only to take in the new information for a moment.

"I don't care what we don't know," he snapped irritably. "I want results, not excuses."

She startled just the slightest at his anger and lowered her gaze immediately. "Of course sir ... I didn't …" She backed up a few steps, her files clutched to her chest as she did so.

He glared her way for a moment, watching her reaction before he shook his head. "And what of the others? Have even one of those wretched SHIELD whelps shown their faces?"

Natalie rearranged the files in her arms as she nodded quickly. "There have been a few hits on the known Tahiti operatives — none of the ones you had before, but you did them such damage…" She glanced up for only half a second before looking back down again. "I don't doubt they are still hiding and recovering."

He paused as he considered it, a smug smile crossing his face as he slowly nodded. "Yes," he said, almost entirely to himself. "That must be it."

"There were a few victors in the mix this time as well," Natalie offered. "It seems the children are mixing with their elders more."

"Which ones?" he asked with a frown.

"Most of the younger ones. Chavez, as you know — and Rhodes as well. Our cameras haven't caught Jessica Drew, but reports put her on the ground."

"Pests," he said, sounding almost like a curse.

She nodded her agreement quietly. "I'm sure they can't elude you forever, sir. It's just sheer luck that's gotten them this far," she said soothingly.

"Their luck will run out soon enough," he agreed as he headed toward his office. "Any further intel you get — bring straight to me."

"Yes, sir. As soon as I get it," she promised quickly.

* * *

 _July 23_

 _District Seven_

* * *

Seven had been absolutely beautiful for the duration of the trip that Logan and Skye had taken there. They'd been just soaking in the essence of the woods' the scent of pine and wild rose was thick in the air, and the overall feel of the place in the summer was just … gorgeous.

Lupines and fireweed were blooming all around the cabin, along with a dozen other amazing wildflowers that Skye simply hadn't seen before.

For the most part, they had nothing to occupy their time but simply relaxing and taking care of each other, and Skye had gotten into the habit of enjoying more than the scenery when Logan headed off to wash up in the lake, though she didn't say anything about it.

There was one pop-up thunderstorm that blew in off the mountain just before a heavy fog that had put an almost eerie feel to the air, but it did nothing to dampen the fire that they had going that evening, and the two of them were frankly enjoying themselves in relative quiet.

"You must be bored out of your mind by now," Logan said as he watched Skye poke at the fire.

"Are you kidding me?" she said with a little smirk as she looked over at him. "I love it here. It's just so … calming. And the whole district smells like pine trees. It's nice."

He had to chuckle at that as she tossed the stick in and just snuggled into his side. "Even without the wifi?" he asked with an eyebrow raised as he turned his head to watch her reaction.

"There are more important things than wifi," she said with a little smirk. "Not much … but still."

He let out a sigh and leaned toward her to rest his head on the top of hers. "You know I love you, right?" he muttered into her hair.

She startled the slightest bit before she just… started to babble a bit. "I mean — that's not something you assume — and I just — you can't just say — out of nowhere — I mean yeah, but—"

"Relax; I'm not expecting anything," he replied. "Just wanted you to know, in case you missed it."

"No, that's not — I just meant I wasn't—" She flushed and bit her lip. "You just took me off-guard."

"Good," he chuckled. "You need it."

"Get a break from always knowing everything from being the director, right?" she teased, finding her footing a little better now.

"Something like that."

She laughed and rested her head deeper underneath his for a long moment before she said, very quietly, "You keep me on my toes. Must be why I love you too."

"You love the picking."

"That too," she said with a little smirk.

"You have enough of the fire, or are you not quite ready to call it a night, director?"

"Well, if you're going to sit here and say nice things to me, I'll keep by the fire, thanks," she had to tease.

"You don't want to set limits like that, or I might _only_ say nice things by the fire," he countered.

"You do and I'll start setting fire to things randomly just to hold you to it," she promised.

"Sounds like fun," he chuckled. "I'll have to get you a lighter."

"I'll carry it with me everywhere. Coulson will think I've turned pyromaniac."

He smiled at her for a moment. "You're already thinking of what you can light on fire, aren't you?"

"There are a surprising amount of flammable objects on base. I mean, here it's just wood everywhere — that's easy."

"Yeah, don't start a forest fire, please."

"I won't. Campfires are much better anyway," she promised, chuckling quietly to herself at the idea.

"Then I guess we better stick by the fire for a while," Logan said. "Just in case I come up with something else."

* * *

 _July 26_

 _SHIELD Base Two_

* * *

"You ready for this?" Peter asked as he and Scott made their way down to the locker rooms. "I mean, I know you've done this stuff for the creeps? But I think we run it a little differently, and you don't _have_ to if you don't want to … I just … are you ready for this?"

"I appreciate the attempt to give me an out, but I really do think I can help," Scott said with one eyebrow raised. "I can't just ignore the fact that there's a war on, so I'd better be ready to do my part, don't you think?"

"Well when you put it like _that_ ," Peter said under his breath. "I guess we better get your armor figured out. Won't do to bring you back with an injury first real mission out."

Scott had to smirk at that and nod his agreement. "Yeah, I guess the big rush to kill Thanos doesn't count. More spur of the moment than anything."

"Well, technically, it could qualify, since from what I heard, you did talk with the director beforehand …"

"Just happened to be there when he came to tell Mac and Heather what was going on," Scott admitted. "Though, if I'd been here… I'd still have wanted to come."

"We should have plenty of chances to go after Hydra, so … let's call this your … second mission." Peter started, just handing him gear when they got to the lockers. "This ought to fit you right, I think."

"Alright then." Scott looked over the gear as he tried it on and was pleased to find that the larger sizes fit him better now. He'd been going to the gym as often as he could — but he also knew Heather was to blame for gaining back everything he'd lost under Essex, and probably a little more.

When the boys got to the hangar, Quill and Clint were shooting rock, paper, scissors — and both of them were getting more and more irritated as it went on. "Just … shoot paper for once, please," Quill said. "How the heck am I supposed to beat you and fly pilot if you actually keep _trying._ "

"I did shoot paper, and you decided to go rock the one time I did, come _on_."

Quill made a noise of annoyance as the two younger members of their team made their appearance. "Peter!" Quill shouted with a grin.

"Peter!" was the almost immediate response with a matching grin.

"Do they do this every time?" Scott had to ask Clint as he climbed into the jet behind Peter.

"Ye-ep."

"Oh, and you brought the Million Dollar Kid with you; that's just _great_ ," Quill said as he headed up to the co-pilot chair. "About time we got some miles out of him."

"The … what?" Scott turned to look Quill's way with one eyebrow raised.

"Trust me, it's .. well... just roll with it," Quill said. "It's not a knock, okay?"

Scott kept up the raised-eyebrow look as he sat down. "You know, most nicknames are at least understood by the people you give them to… and I'm really not a nickname kind of person."

"Well maybe I'll explain it to you later, but now is not the time, Million Dollar Kid."

"Can you not?" Scott asked. "Just call me Scott."

"Nope!" Quill sang out. "That's how I know you in my head, don't mess with it."

Clint chuckled as he got ready to put them in the air — since he'd won piloting rights with the game of rock, paper, scissors. "Alright, children, has everyone gone to the bathroom before we left? No one left anything?"

"Are you going to try to hold my hand if I say no?" Quill asked with a grin. "Because if that's the case, I'd hold it. The need to go to the bathroom, that is."

Clint laughed at that and shook his head. "You're not my type anyway, Quill. I only date smart blondes."

"Makin' up for a deficit?"

"You know it. Can you imagine two of me? That would just… be horrible."

"I'd rather not," Quill admitted before he turned to look over his shoulder. "Peter! You ready for this?"

"Oh yeah, absolutely, Peter."

"Sweet!" Quill replied. "You know they just wanted this one to go super smooth so they had both Peters involved. It was just to be extra good." He turned to Scott. "So, Million Dollar Kid, it's just going to be you, me, and Petey here. Think you can follow directions okay?"

"Better than you can — I told you not to call me that," Scott said, shaking his head.

"Hey. If you don't like my nicknames, I'm sure you can just wait for Logan to give you one. He seems to rename just about everyone," Quill said off handedly.

"Yeah, already got one of those, thanks. I like the name I _have_ ," Scott said dryly.

"What is it?" Peter asked from right next to him. "Is it bad?"

Scott frowned slightly and then shrugged. "Don't think so," he said. "He called me 'Slim' back in Seven, but ... well. Haven't heard him use it in a while."

"Have you been around him in a while?" Peter asked. "Because ... he can't use it if he doesn't see you. Though it's my experience that he just doesn't forget them. Ever."

Scott shrugged. "Actually, haven't really seen him around," he had to admit. "I'm sure I see him more than usual, being with Mac and Heather, but you guys actually live with him."

"Yeah, we don't see him much either, to be honest," Peter said. "He tries to be out on missions all the time. Or super secret training. He's really not … here."

"Then how does everyone get a nickname?" Scott asked with a smirk.

"They don't," Peter said. "He only gives them out to people he likes."

Scott frowned. "You sure about that?"

"I don't think I've ever heard him take the time to come up with one for someone he _dis_ likes." He paused. "Unless … you know. I guess he may have done it if he knew it was going to tweak someone. But those … they don't stick. Like... one-time uses."

"Well there you go," Scott said. "That must be it.'

"I doubt that's the case," Peter tried to assure him before he tried to change the subject when it was clear Scott didn't think much of his assessment. "So. Coulson said you were a real tactical-minded kind of guy. That's … useful."

Scott shrugged. "It's an acquired skill," he said with the slightest of smirks. "You've met Elsie, haven't you?"

"I have," Peter laughed. "She's something else."

"Now imagine about thirty kids in one cramped place — you learn how to keep things organized and running really fast."

"I'm sure," Peter said. "But you know, if you want to practice that stuff, some of the other 'tactical' kids play chess. You should join them. I'll bet you'd be good at it."

"You play?" Scott asked, genuinely curious.

"A little bit," he admitted. "Tony and Bruce are the real ones to watch out for, though."

"I may have to try that," Scott said with a nod, settling back as the four occupants of the jet headed off to Ten — though most of that time was spent with Clint and Quill joking back and forth the _entire_ time.

"Okay kiddies!" Quill called back once they'd arrived. "Time to go get some intel, maybe beat up a few bad guys along the way. We gotta leave our little blonde birdie in the nest and go do all the work." As he spoke, he adjusted something at his belt, and in an instant, the image shimmered, and Peter Quill was no longer blonde and recognizable but brunette, older, graying, and looking like a senior SHIELD agent rather than a former victor.

Clint smirked Quill's way. "Try not to have all the fun without me."

"Oh, I'm having all the fun, and I'm doing it twice just because you can't," Quill countered.

"That is hurtful, Quill. Just hurtful. And here I thought you'd be grateful I shot your father-in-law."

"Oh, I am, especially since you guys came back with such great play-by-plays and stories that I will cherish forever for not being there."

Clint chuckled and leaned back. "Just return the favor, huh? Took me forever just to get them to let me out for piloting."

"You want me to kill your father-in-law? I had no idea you were married," Quill teased.

"Oh yeah. Sweet little girl next door," Clint nodded seriously, though he couldn't quite hold the look and broke into a teasing grin.

"So you're cheating on Bobbi?" Quill asked as he went back to the others. "That's rude."

Clint chuckled. "Hard to cheat if she's not here, Quill," he pointed out.

"Yeah, but it's an emotional affair. Obviously."

"Obviously. Me and this nonexistent lady are _so_ involved," Clint snorted, waving them off.

"C'mon, Peter," Quill said before he dropped a hand on each of their shoulders. "Million Dollar Kid. Time to go."

"That's never going to go away, is it?" Scott muttered, and Peter shook his head brightly.

"No idea what that's all about but … I kinda like it," Peter admitted.

Scott shook his head at both of the Peters with a look of longsuffering as the three of them made their way down to where intelligence suggested there was a Hydra base.

And there was, in fact, a Hydra base — but they were surprised to find when they got there that it was in the middle of being evacuated. Scores of green-clad soldiers were unloading what looked like lab equipment, while others in white coats rushed around fretting to be sure that the soldiers didn't break anything crucial to their research.

"Looks like they knew we were coming," Scott muttered with a small frown.

"That's okay; we'll just grab whatever we can and shoot anyone that tries to stop us, right?" Quill said. "Let's not make this thing a bust. And … break some of the stuff they're trying to protect. That'll be good."

"Let's focus on breaking the equipment," Scott agreed.

"Agreed, rampant property damage," Peter said. "This … I can do." He grinned at Scott. "This is actually something that I _excel_ at."

"Great, then you focus on the stuff they've already loaded. We'll make sure they don't load anything else," Scott said, motioning between himself and Quill.

"Lookit you all trying to take charge," Quill said as he clapped a hand on Scott's shoulder. "Alright then, let's try it your way and see what happens. Man. They really weren't kidding about you, were they?"

Scott turned to give Quill a dry look. "If you have an alternate plan, I'm all ears."

"No no, that sounds pretty much like what I said, just more uptight and precise," He was nodding his head and gesturing forward. "No really, come on, Million Dollar Kid, let's do it."

Scott paused just long enough to give Quill a _look_ for the continuing nickname before the three of them burst into action — with Peter webbing up trucks and breaking vials and the other two making a rush for the soldiers and scientists who were still unloading. The main objective wasn't so much the personnel but the equipment, which meant the two of them spent half their time shooting crates and other things as the scientists and soldiers got more and more frustrated with how much they were _losing_ to the three young men.

It wasn't long before the soldiers for the most part just started a heavy push to load up _everything_ they could get their hands on while a small group of them tried to pick off the three kids. Unfortunately, it wasn't long before they realized that the kids had on some pretty substantial armor and their shots weren't doing much to them.

A couple soldiers ran in — obviously in an attempt to distract or slow the boys down so they could finish their job — with the intention of capturing them if they could. The one that rushed Peter was greeted with a little 'eep' before he webbed his hands to his sides and his feet to the ground. "It's really not nice to sneak up on your friendly neighborhood Spider-man, guys!"

He'd barely delivered his line before another two soldiers rushed over and tackled him, which, amazingly, proved to be a very bad idea on their part when it was brought to light that Peter Parker was apparently some kind of genius when it came to wrestling moves.

In no more than five strikes, he'd managed to twist his way out of their hold and knock both of them out cold, though he was frantically looking around him, just waiting to nail anyone who came close again.

"Holy crap, Spider-man," Quill said. "That … was pretty frikkin' amazing!"

"Didn't know you were trained for wrestling," Scott agreed with a little smirk.

"I … am not," Peter admitted. "Not really. I mean .. I guess years of trying to slip out of noogies and wedgies will do that to a guy …"

Quill just had to chuckle at that as he and Scott worked their way through the soldiers a little closer to where Peter was, though Scott paused when he saw a particularly dense knot. "They're not protecting equipment there. They're protecting a person," he said Quill's way.

"Not for long," Peter said as he started shooting webbing toward the bundle of men. "Stick 'em to the ground; see how they like that."

"Not all of us have webbing," Scott pointed out, though he and Quill were doing a fine job of pushing through the soldiers their own way — with guns and fists.

The men that Peter had webbed were stuck, but by no means was the man they were protecting. Once a couple men were webbed to the spot, the soldiers outside of the knot moved to neutralize Peter — drawing his attention off of the mystery man and forcing him to go on the offensive.

"I got this guys! I'm … I'm fine!" Peter shouted out between ducking and punching.

Scott just had to shake his head at that as he moved to catch up to Peter. "There's nothing wrong with asking for help," he called back his way as he did so.

An echoing 'Ack!' was the response as Peter twisted to dodge between two men, popping up on the other side of them before he threw an elbow into one of their faces. "No really, I'm good!"

Scott paused and had to shake his head for a moment before redirecting. If Peter said he was fine… he'd just keep an eye on things. Instead, he switched back toward where Quill was working to get hold of the dumpy scientist that the soldiers were protecting — as the glasses-wearing man shrieked at the soldiers to protect him better.

"Oooh, we found the prize in the middle," Quill called out. "Come on, Million Dollar Kid — live up to your title!" Quill was alternating between shooting soldiers and bare-knuckle brawling to get to the man, but it was clear he needed help to finish the job.

Scott only just bit back the comment on how that was _not_ his name as he rushed in to help, not only shooting soldiers but also putting a few tricks into play that Mac had shown him since he got to the SHIELD base. Between the two of them, they were able to deal with the soldiers quickly, and when the mousy little man tried to dash away, Scott all but tackled him to keep him there.

"There we go," Quill shouted. "Cuff him!" He turned to Peter. "Unless Web-head can get over here and stick him."

Scott shook his head, already pulling the man's arms behind his back. "See if he needs help, would you?"

"Oh, I forgot you're running this mission. Right," Quill replied, rolling his eyes. "But he looks pretty good to me. Did you know he could flip like that from a standing position?" Quill had his hands on his hips as he watched Peter take down the last couple of guys trying to grab him. "Man, that kid is flexible."

Scott pulled their prisoner to his feet and followed Quill's gaze, unable to stop the smirk when he did. "I don't think he even realizes it," he said.

"That's … amazing. I can't even think of a better word for it," Quill said, shaking his head. When Peter flipped backwards, kicking the last assailant in the chin and knocking him out cold before landing on his feet, Quill just started to clap. "Where's a camera when you need one?"

Peter looked surprised for a second before he broke into a huge grin and started to bow dramatically. "Thank you, thank you!"

"That was truly amazing, Spider-Man. Honestly, you're going to need to add that to your name."

"The Amazing Spiderman…." Peter repeated it a couple times to himself and then nodded. "Yes. Yes, I think I'm keeping it."

"You bet your webshooters you are," Quill replied. "The guys that work with me have to have good titles; isn't that right, Million Dollar Kid?"

"That's _not_ my name," Scott said, starting to get a little irritated now.

"Well I say it fits," Quill replied.

"That's your opinion," Scott said. "But it's _my_ name."

"It's fact, and like I said before, that's how _I_ know you, so suck it up," Quill replied before he took one of the scientist's arms. "How about we get this little creep back to base — or do you need to decide how we walk there first?"

Scott gave him a _look_. "Aren't you mission leader? Lead the way."

Quill just shook his head and let out a breath. This kid was going to irk him the way he was going. But Quill really didn't want to deal with things that way. "What do you think, Spidey, if we're acting as a team? You ready to go — or did you want to astound us with more flips and amazing kicks?"

"I mean, I _can_ , but then you guys would feel left out," Peter said with a little grin.

"Well alright then, let's head out, Amazing Spider-Man."

When they got back to the plane, where Clint was waiting, bow in hand, Quill just had to grin. "You wouldn't believe these two, blonde Hawkeye," he said. "The Million Dollar Kid is pretty good to keep around in a fight — believe it or not — and the Amazing Spider-Man here … just … wow."

"Coulda told you that," Clint said with an easy grin as he leaned back. "Wouldn't let Katie run around with him if he wasn't up to snuff."

"He was doing backflips to kick guys!" Quill said with a grin.

Clint grinned and turned to face Peter better. "That true, Spidey? You trying to make the rest of us look bad?"

"Just .. keep raising the bar, that's all," Peter said as he brushed his hand off on his chest.

Clint chuckled before he waved Quill up to copilot. "C'mon. Your Trillion Dollar Boy can watch our new friend — let's get back home, huh?"

"That's not my…" Scott let out a noise of frustration as he shook his head.

"I don't know," Quill said. "Got a nice ring to it."

"Platinum ring," Clint agreed.

Quill pointed one finger at Clint. "Yes. That. That exactly."

Scott glanced at Peter and slowly shook his head. "I'm starting to think Coulson put me on this team to put me off," he muttered.

"What did you do to get _Quill_ picking on you?" Peter asked quietly.

"I don't even know. If I did, I'd … try to fix it somehow," Scott admitted.

"You had to do something," Peter reasoned. "I've never seen him insist on picking like that."

"I really didn't," Scott insisted. "As far as I know, all I've done is get stuck on a team with him and before that, saw him on the roof in the Capitol. That's it."

"That's not enough, I don't think," Peter said with a frown. "Maybe if you asked …"

"Yeah, no. It's fine," Scott said, waving him off.

"And maybe I'd believe you? If you didn't have that look on your face every time he says it," Peter said. "But you do, so I can't … you understand my problem here, right?"

Scott let out a breath and shook his head. "Look, I don't know," he said. "And I'm starting to think Quill's the only one in on his own joke."

Clint smirked from the cockpit and turned the slightest bit to raise an eyebrow their way. "C'mon, Silver-Coated Kiddo," he said. "You're supposed to be smart."

"Platinum," Quill corrected.

"Right. Platinum-Coated Smarty Pants," Clint agreed with a nod. "I mean, think about it for five seconds. Quill's a victor, right? Gotta know behind-the-scenes stuff. And anybody with half a brain knows those glasses you got probably cost a mint." Clint stared at Scott for a moment. "C'mon. I'm an idiot, and I figured it out."

Scott stared at him for a moment and then looked to Quill. "What, you do this to every kid who got an expensive gift during the Games?"

"The only ones that came even close to that level were entire groups," Quill replied. "So I'm a little curious to see what all the fuss was about."

"Search me," Scott said with a shrug. "Didn't make sense to me either; I knew going in I wasn't going to get out. Not allying with a Creed. Not being from Seven. So I don't know why people wasted the money."

"Wow," Quill said, just shaking his head and turning to face forward.

The subject dropped — at least for the time being — and the four of them headed back to base, where Coulson took the bespectacled scientist into custody.

"Arnum Zola," Coulson said with a frown that clearly said he recognized the guy. "Head of Hydra's research division."

"Where do you want him?" Quill asked, still wearing his image inducer.

"We'll take him into high priority custody," Coulson said with a little smirk. "And make sure it slips that he's been talking with us," he added as Zola looked downright terrified by the very concept.

"You got it, boss," he replied as he and Clint headed out, with Zola between them.


	2. A Little Swordplay

**Chapter 2: A Little Swordplay**

* * *

 _July 29_

 _Tahiti Hangar_

* * *

Almost from the very second that the kids who had been out on vacation arrived back at the base, it wasn't clear who was on more of a mission to let the world know that Steve was engaged — Steve himself or Kate. She was just so _excited_ for him, and she had to tell _everyone_ about it.

"And he's the only one, huh?" Logan asked as he bumped Kurt's shoulder. "Shame."

"What, and take away from his moment?" Kurt asked with one eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, that's what you were doing," Logan said giving him a dry look. "Let me know how this works out — I'm sure no one else will be asking you the same question. I have to go get poked and prodded some more. I'm told."

"You weren't the first to ask, _mein Freund,"_ Kurt admitted. "Steve was… surprised when he heard I hadn't asked."

"Well if Steve Rogers thinks you're moving too slow …"

"I wasn't aware it was a race," Kurt said pointedly.

"So sensitive," Logan teased. "If it was a race, I'd bet that Wade would outstrip you. And he's got a few years to wait."

"I very much doubt that," Kurt said, shaking his head with a look of disbelief. " _Wade_ ," he repeated, still with his nose wrinkled up. " _Lacherlich_."

" _Kenmeina,_ " Logan replied before he pointed a finger Kurt's way. "Looked yours up last time you threw it at me."

Kurt glanced at Logan with one eyebrow raised for a long while. "I'm afraid I don't know yours. I'll have to look it up."

"I'll save you the trouble. Loosely translates to 'sensible'."

"You're calling Wade more sensible than I am?" Kurt asked, sounding truly offended.

"Never thought I'd see the day," Logan laughed.

Kurt drew himself up a little taller and let out a breath of annoyance. "Logan, I will _tell you_ when it happens. _When_ it happens," he repeated.

"I'm sure I'm at the bottom of the list," he said with a wave.

"Just after Wade," Kurt shot back.

"Yep," Logan agreed. "And only then because _he'll_ be the one to tell me."

"Well you two are so close…"

"Green really ain't your color, Elf. I'll see you later if I have any blood left," Logan promised. "I think it's time we had a drink."

Kurt paused, and the annoyed expression gave way to a little smile. "Past time," he had to agree.

* * *

Peggy was surrounded by well-wishers almost as soon as she got off the plane, but it didn't escape Kate's notice that Skye had disappeared to avoid the questions — though she didn't quite understand _why_ until Jan caught Kate by the shoulder with a troublemaking grin.

"You're _awfully_ excited for Steve, aren't you?" Jan asked with a twinkle in her eye.

"Of course I am," Kate said, her tone saying that this should have been a no-brainer. "He's been walking on air this whole time. It's _adorable_."

"Uh huh, so it's not because you're all … open to the idea of weddings?"

"Well," she said, pausing.

"Are you petitioning for best man?"

Kate laughed out loud at that one. "Yeah, no, I'm sure there are plenty of other people he'd ask first. I just like it when people are happy."

"Uh-huh," Jan said, not at all convinced.

"Come _on_ , Jan. The X man and his X lady are like the cutest thing ever—"

"Oh, so it's babies then, huh?"

"No, they were cute before that too," Kate said quickly. "I just meant—"

But Jan was grinning widely at her. "They weren't the only ones …"

"Oh come on," Kate said, flushing suddenly as she got Jan's meaning. "You're the married lady here, Jan!"

"Yeah, but I'm not the one all worked up over _Steve's_ engagement."

"I like seeing him happy," Kate insisted, her arms crossed over her chest. "I've seen the exact opposite up close."

"You punched him how many times?"

"Love taps," Kate said with a shrug.

"Okay, if you say so," Jan said in a sing-song tone as she turned and bounced off.

Kate stared after Jan for a moment before she had to shake her head and let out a breath. Maybe Skye had the right idea; she should have hidden until _after_ this blew over….

* * *

 _July 31_

 _Briefing Room_

* * *

Coulson regarded the three young men on the other side of the table from him. Barton seemed to be back to his usual self, if the grin was any indication, and Steve was sitting straight-backed as usual, though with what was definitely a subdued grin that didn't seem to be something he could hold back. Kurt between them seemed to be trying to get Clint to stop saying whatever it was he was whispering between them as Coulson swept in the door and settled down.

"We think we've found Heinrich Zemo," Coulson told the assembled group. "He's a highly-ranked member of Hydra's organization, and he's been flying under the radar almost since the beginning — but we got lucky, and we have to move fast before we lose him again."

He distributed the intel to the three boys. "His hideaway will be heavily fortified, but we think we've found you a side entrance that shouldn't attract too much attention. From there, your one and only job is to get to Zemo and neutralize the threat." He looked sternly over his nose. "Don't try to take down the whole base. You're not equipped for it." When that was met with a chorus of nods, he continued. "Steve, you'll be leading this team, but you'll be relying on the talents of Mr. Wagner here — and Barton, you'll be providing backup." He paused. "Zemo is a _master_ swordsman. Mr. Wagner here is our expert in that regard."

Kurt's lips quirked upward, like he was concealing a smile, though he bit back any comment on the matter — barely.

"Your job is to get them there, and then wreak havoc," Coulson informed Steve. "And do try not to get captured. We've had too much of that lately." He stood slightly, indicating an end to the briefing, before he said, "I don't mind telling you boys — this is a bit heavier than I'm usually comfortable with. Stay safe. We wouldn't ask if it wasn't important."

* * *

The transport was quiet for a few minutes as Clint settled in behind the stick, grumbling a bit to himself, and Kurt sat next to him, at Steve's suggestion. Steve was still reading through the intel and didn't say much for a while.

"I hate swords," Clint said once they were airborne, looking at Kurt with a sheepish grin. "Hated learning 'em."

Kurt nodded knowingly. He'd seen Clint training with the Swordsman, and the refrain that he hated the whole idea was a familiar one. "Well, I might pull you into a fight while we're there," he said, knowing that Clint was more than fair in a fight — he just preferred bows.

"I'm decent," Clint admitted. "And sure, I'll back you up. Gotta get you home in one piece for Katie, right?"

"I'd appreciate that. She would too."

"Yeah, I'm trying not to get yelled at if I can avoid it," Clint joked. "Someday, you've got to teach me that secret. The not-getting-in-trouble-with-Kate thing. Maybe it'd work with Bobbi. You know. If she ever gets off her stupid, super-secret mission."

"I'm sure they can't expect her to be out much longer," Kurt assured him.

Clint snorted and shook his head. "You'd think, but … no sign of her yet. Except for when she was with Viper." He shook his head to himself and then turned his attention back to the sky. "She's _gotta_ be ready to get outta there. I know she called in to get picked up, but there hasn't been an opening… I'm just waiting for the call to get her out."

"I'm sure," Kurt said with a frown. "I can't imagine having to … what she's doing can't be easy."

"Yeah, but she's good," he replied, trying to remind himself more than anything. "She's got it under control, I'm sure of it."

"I'm sure," Kurt agreed.

Clint shook his head quietly to himself before he cleared his throat and tried for a change in subject. "You better be real good with those swords, Kurt. Seemed a little like Coulson was apologizing when he sent us out."

Kurt traced the thin blades that he held on his lap, the sheathed position not quite compatible with the jet's seats. "I hope after two years of training with them I'm at least halfway decent."

"I'll let you know," Clint teased.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"Anytime, kiddo." Clint grinned and leaned back, relaxing.

When they arrived in One, Kurt was struck by the size of the houses in the Victor's Village as Steve pointed them in that direction. They seemed to be large enough to get lost in for days at a time, and they were visible from quite a distance, as well. One was closest to the Capitol, so their opulence was out on display — even if that was diminished by being cut off from the outliers. And of course Hydra wanted to cut in on the Capitol's riches — and with Ronan so distracted, it was clear they were making a play for it.

"A place this big means there are plenty of entrances," Steve explained, pointing out to Kurt the entry point again on their map. "Do you think you can get us inside?"

Kurt nodded. "You guys keep a lookout for any unpleasant surprises, and I'll get us in."

Both Clint and Steve nodded, taking up positions as well-hidden as they could manage in the pristinely-kept yards. Someone had stayed in One in order to keep up appearances, it seemed. Once the two were as hidden as they could be, Kurt went for the door. It only took a few seconds for him to quietly find a way in, and then he was signaling for his teammates to join him.

Clint grinned at him. "Nice," he said. "Alright, Steve, do the leading thing."

Steve gave Clint a look before he pushed through the door. Coulson's intel had been right — there didn't seem to be as much security there — but already, they could see a few Hydra men patrolling the long corridors. It didn't take long for them to get spotted — Coulson had warned them that the place would be heavily fortified, but at least the first few men attacked in small groups, more reacting to the presence of the three boys than rallying a force. They went down quickly enough, the victim of a carefully-placed sword slice or a blow from Steve's shield or an arrow to a crucial joint.

The boys made it past a large dining area before an alarm sounded, and Clint swore under his breath with a whispered apology as he put an arrow through the man who'd raised the alarm. "Shoulda spotted him," he muttered to Kurt, shaking his head as though he were frustrated with himself.

"You're still recovering," Kurt pointed out, though Clint didn't look like he accepted that.

This time, when the Hydra men started to pour out to meet them, they were much better prepared — and better-armed. Some of them had some kind of blueish weapon that none of the boys had seen before, but the impact seemed to be positively devastating.

"Do _not_ let them hit you with one of those," Steve told his teammates. "Take down those guns first."

Clint's arrows hit with dizzying precision, causing many miniature explosions. Kurt practically danced around the space, slicing the barrels of the guns or the hands that held them while dodging blue blasts. Behind them, Steve seemed to be occupying the attention of anyone remaining, to give his teammates a chance to take out the weapons. They were doing well, relatively speaking, until it seemed that one of the panels in the wall behind a statue sprang aside, and several dozen more men poured out. This in addition to the men still responding to the alarm had all three boys struggling just to play defense.

Kurt ducked under the arm of one man, swiped with one of his blades at another, and shouted to the nearby Clint, "We need to retreat! Where's Steve?"

Clint wrenched the arm of the man he was grappling with, tossing him to the floor, and used his brief period of freedom to scan the room. "Cap?" he called out, then turned back to Kurt with slightly parted lips. "I don't have eyes on him," he said before another Hydra goon grabbed his attention again and he was forced to focus on that problem, using his bow as more of a staff than anything else.

When they were able to gain even another moment of reprieve, both boys reached for their comms, trying to signal for Steve, but there was no answer for either of them.

Kurt shook his head. "Clint, we need to regroup. We can't—" He stabbed at a goon behind him. "—can't stay here. There's too many of them."

"And too many hiding spots," Clint agreed, already making a grab for his quiver. "You want an explosive exit? I've got a few."

"Fire away," said Kurt, readying himself for the escape.

Clint had already nocked the arrow, and he let it fly, running directly at the exit he'd just made as part of the wall burst near them both. "Let's go, kiddo." Kurt was hot on his heels as they burst through the newly-renovated wall.

A few of the Hydra men tried to follow them, but it wasn't the entire force, and the boys were able to make their escape through those that were dumb enough to try to stop them, tearing down the streets at a full sprint the moment they were clear. Clint followed Kurt's lead, glancing over his shoulder with his bow ready just in case, until they finally reached a safe distance and stopped, panting heavily.

Clint hardly had his breath before he was swearing. "Coulson's intel was shoddy," he said through his teeth. "Steve's still in there."

"We need a new plan," Kurt said. "We don't have time for backup. We're on our own."

Clint nodded his agreement. "I don't like waiting either. That's no good for Steve — you're right."

"Not after the last time he was captured," Kurt agreed with a deepening scowl as he thought about it.

Clint frowned and shook his head. "We gotta play this smart, Kurt. That place is full of trap doors, and I can't fight what I can't see coming. And we don't want to _join_ him, either."

Kurt stabbed the dirt at their feet as he thought, and then he glanced up as an idea occurred to him. "The air vents. Big house like that's going to have plenty to crawl around in."

Clint's entire face broke out in a grin. "I knew I liked you," he said. "Now _that's_ a workable idea."

"Excellent. I think a little recon is in order, then."

Clint nodded and shouldered his bow. "I'll go where you point me," he said. "Your call."

They waited a few minutes for the excitement inside the house to die down before they made their approach, and Clint watched their backs as Kurt scouted out the best access point before they made their way in. Kurt was taller and broader than he had been when he first started doing this sort of thing with Kate, but he managed to fit just the same. It was stranger to watch the bigger Clint squeeze in, though, pushing his quiver along in front of him. He'd heard Kate talk about going into the vents with her fellow hawk, but it was something else to see it in person.

"It's going to be trial-and-error here," Kurt whispered back to Clint as they shimmied along the vent. "The vents aren't on any maps I have."

"I'll make Coulson change that next time," Clint joked. "Besides, trial and error's the story of my life. Just try not to error us into the middle of a Hydra dinner party or something."

"Takes a little bit of effort to drop through a grate," said Kurt.

"I'll make dramatic entrances anyway." Clint chuckled a bit to himself. "Lead on, kiddo. I trust you."

It took them nearly an hour to make their way down through the vents before they heard a voice drifting up through the nearby grate that didn't sound like the usual goons carousing.

"Come now, Captain," the voice said, and Kurt signalled for Clint to wait, tilting his head slightly. "Hydra once worked inside SHIELD itself. Surely you can't expect me to believe that you know nothing of the mechanisms that brought you back to life, its command structure, or where the rest of your little group is housed." The voice seemed to grow more derisive. "I don't expect you to know the finer details of the scientific process. That is not your purpose."

By the time the two boys worked themselves forward, Kurt could see that Steve was in real trouble. He looked a bit battered already from whatever it had taken to capture him, and his shield was nowhere in sight. His hands were secured behind his back, and there was a Hydra soldier on either side of him, holding a shoulder each. But he'd learned how to keep his tongue when he was in Ronan's dungeon, and this guy wasn't getting anything.

A tall, slender man wearing fine purple clothing stood in front of Steve, sneering down at the captured young man. This had to be Zemo — he looked slightly older than the last available image Coulson had given them, but it was unmistakable. He was holding a long metal instrument with the practiced care of a swordsman, but this was no rapier. Kurt could see the glowing red end, and while Zemo had not yet advanced on Steve with the instrument, it was clear that he would.

Kurt set to work getting the grate open as Zemo continued to speak.

"We'll start with the children the program has reanimated," Zemo said, his tone unconcerned, as if he was simply having a discussion with Steve about the weather. "You'll tell me how many there are left that have not been publicly revealed, and then you'll tell me when each of you were… created." His lips twisted into a cruel smile. "And do please keep your dates exact. We need a clear timeline to estimate the scope of the process, since you children so carelessly disposed of our last source of information."

Kurt removed the last screw holding the vent in place but kept his fingers wrapped through the grate. He lowered it a few inches, then sent it flying at Zemo before worming his head and shoulders through and dropping to the floor, rolling as he hit the ground and springing to his feet. As they'd planned, Clint dropped Kurt's swords down to him in the confusion before following him through, pulling his quiver on as he dropped. By the time Zemo had recovered from the grate attack, Clint had already dropped two of the guards and was grappling with the others on his way to get to Steve, while Kurt darted for Zemo, swords out.

To his credit, Zemo recovered quickly and brought the poker up to block Kurt's double strike. Kurt could feel the red-hot tip just a few inches from his cheek, and Zemo was straining to land a hit. Kurt shifted the weight of his sword a bit, sending the tip of the poker off to the side. It caught on one of his curls, and the smell of burning hair hit Kurt's nose before he felt a lock of hair drop onto his shoulder. With a lunge, he shoved Zemo back, knocking the poker from his hands.

Zemo stumbled a bit but then reached for his belt in a swift motion, drawing a sword Kurt hadn't noticed sheathed there. Their blades clashed with a bright metallic ring.

The first thing that Kurt noticed was that Zemo was _strong_. He was able to hold off both of Kurt's blades with his single sword. This time, Zemo pushed Kurt away and lunged after him, but Kurt had his bearings now and parried the oncoming attack, bringing his other sword up underneath and forcing Zemo to dodge backward. The very tip of Kurt's sword ripped a thin line in the fabric of Zemo's shirt, and a faint line of red appeared in the tear.

Zemo's face twisted into a scowl. "You'll pay for that, _boy_ ," he practically spat at Kurt.

"Doesn't look like it was that expensive," Kurt said, the words popping from his mouth before he realized it.

Zemo actually hissed before lunging again with a wilder thrust than the last. The sheer force of his blows pressed Kurt back a few inches at a time. Kurt was going to hit the wall soon, and that would be _very_ bad. He waited for Zemo to raise his sword and then sprang past him, putting the man closer to the wall. While Zemo was turning, Kurt sank one of his blades into his right shoulder. Zemo wailed in pain and outrage, almost dropping his sword. He switched hands and attacked once more, but even fueled by rage, he wasn't as strong with his left.

Still, he seemed assured as he hissed at Kurt, "They sent _children_ to deal with me? I'll see you kneeling at my feet before the day is through."

"Apparently, you're not high on our priorities list," Kurt managed between parries and attacks of his own. "You'll just have to live with the disappointment."

As Zemo got angrier, his attacks became wilder, but less focused — which was what Kurt was counting on. He landed several more superficial cuts on Zemo's chest and arms, but Zemo managed a few heavy hits of his own. Kurt's left arm had taken a hit, and his upper sleeve was wet with blood, as well as a long slice across his chest that wasn't as deep but still was oozing blood.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kurt saw Clint yank an arrow from his quiver and sink it directly into the chest of the last Hydra soldier. Clint looked up, and the two made eye contact. Before he returned his attention to Zemo, Kurt tossed the sword in his left hand over to Clint, who caught it smoothly by the hilt. Clint twirled it once, testing the weight, before leaping over the bodies of the men he'd dispatched and joining the sword fight.

The tide immediately shifted in their favor. Zemo was half-blind with pain and rage, and he could barely keep up as he desperately blocked strike after strike from Clint and Kurt. Finally, Clint swung, and as Zemo blocked, Kurt slashed upwards and cut deep into Zemo's left arm. The man screamed, and his sword clattered to the floor as he clutched at his arm. Clint shoved the villain, and he toppled to the floor, crashing onto his back. As he struggled to rise, he found the tip of a sword digging gently into his throat.

"Didn't you say something about kneeling?" Kurt asked, pressing a little harder with his sword. Zemo choked and sputtered something, but neither boy was listening as they turned to where Steve had been. The tall blond was on his feet, holding his shield in front of him, though neither boy knew where he'd found it. How he'd gotten his hands in front of him was a bit of a mystery as well, but Kurt assumed it was a trick he'd picked up somewhere. Steve set his shield down and held out his bound hands.

"Either of you want to help me out here?"

Once they'd freed Steve's hands and bound Zemo in a similar fashion, they left the small room and made their way out of the house. They met very little resistance from Hydra soldiers — apparently most of them had responded to the alarm or showed up shortly after. The few they did see seemed quite unwilling to shoot out of fear of hitting Zemo, who Steve was marching along in front of the group. Clint disarmed them swiftly as they passed with careful jabs from Kurt's sword.

"For someone who hates swords…" Kurt started as they exited the opulent house.

Clint, who was walking backwards and covering their backs, shot him a glance. "Okay, fine, they're not awful."

They made their way to the transport without problem and secured Zemo in the tiny brig on board. Clint got the ship in the air and then set the autopilot so that they could all take care of their wounds as best they could. Kurt's biggest issue was his arm — most of his sleeve was fairly soaked now, and he was beginning to feel a bit light-headed — but Steve got it bandaged well enough to last until they got back.

"You doing okay, Kurt?" Clint asked, turning in his seat to stare at the younger boy.

Kurt nodded. "Didn't realize how much it was bleeding during the fight. Adrenaline is a good pain blocker."

"Story of my life," Clint said with a smirk, leaning over to inspect the bandaging job Steve had done. "You did good back there. That was some show."

"Speak for yourself, Mr. I-Hate-Swords."

"Well I _do_. Doesn't mean I can't use 'em." Clint grinned at Kurt. "You're miles ahead of me, though. I can see why Katie's always going on about her _dashing swordsman_."

Kurt's ears turned pink. "Does she?"

"Yeah." Clint raised an eyebrow. "All the time, Kurt. It's annoying." He shrugged and leaned back, satisfied at least that Steve's bandage would hold.

"She talks about you too, you know."

"Don't believe a word she says," Clint said with a sloppy grin. "She says nice things about you, but I know what she says about me — though it's greatly exaggerated, I tell you."

"Hmm," Kurt mused, looking like he was considering something.

"She's gonna kill me when we get back," Clint told Kurt, shaking his head.

"I'm sure there's multiple reasons, but what were you thinking of specifically?" Kurt teased.

Clint pointed first at Kurt's arm and then at his chest and then just grinned. "Oh. No reason."

Kurt grinned. "I'll try and tell her it wasn't your fault. You know how she gets, though. No promises."

Clint shrugged. "Oh, it's always my fault even when it's not. That's another story of my life, kiddo." He chuckled a little bit to himself as he shook his head. "Naw, she'll get over it, though. It's usually Steve she gets mad at, when it's me. I'm just… closer, so I get the angry Kate this time, 'cause it's you."

Kurt smiled at that. "I'd do the same, to be honest. If it were Kate."

Clint laughed outright. "Yeah, no kidding," he said. "It's okay — I'm here to take all the abuse you two can hurl at me."

"I try and limit the amount of abuse I hurl at anyone," said Kurt. "Kate doesn't quite have the same self-restraint."

"No one has your self-restraint, Kurt," Clint pointed out. "At least if half of what Katie tells me is true, I'm surprised Heaven hasn't scooped your precious little self off this earth to live there with the other angels." He was barely containing his chuckles now, his shoulders slightly shaking. Kurt blushed again. Clint leaned forward again, still smiling, but he had stopped laughing at least. "You're a good guy to have in a pinch, Kurt," he said seriously. "That was — honestly, kiddo, that was some serious swordplay. You should teach."

"Thank you, Clint. I really appreciate that."

Clint nodded and leaned back again, lapsing into silence as he piloted them back to base.

* * *

When the team arrived back at the base, they were greeted first by a small security team headed up by Maria Hill, who questioned them each sharply and quickly about their mission before she pointed at Steve and told him to come with her, as the team leader, and because Steve looked reluctant to let Zemo out of his sight until he was safely contained.

It was only when Hill's team had cleared and Clint was trying to get Kurt to Medical without anyone else stopping them that they both spotted Kate, who looked like she'd just been waiting there with her arms crossed for… a while.

"So do you want me to step in front of you or maybe just pin her while you run?" Clint asked Kurt under his breath.

"Maybe I should be in front, she'll be less likely to murder her injured boyfriend," Kurt whispered back as they drew closer to Kate.

"Smart."

Kate didn't quite wait for them to reach her, and she crossed the distance to them with a growing look of dismay as she looked Kurt over, taking in his blood-soaked sleeve and the gaping hole in the chest of his shirt. She glared in Clint's direction before she wrapped her arms — carefully — around Kurt's middle for a soft and sideways sort of hug. When she released him, though, she pushed his shoulder with a frown. "Don't _do_ things like this to me," she told him sternly.

He looked at her, somewhat helplessly. "Does it help if I apologize?" he offered.

"Does apologizing stop you from bleeding everywhere?" Kate shot back, still taking him in. When she looked up, she was looking past him at Clint, and she narrowed her eyes. " _You_ are horrible at taking care of him. D-minus."

"In our defense, it's not all my blood," Kurt said, gesturing at the spatters of Zemo's blood that had landed on him during the fight. "And I'm not really bleeding that badly...anymore…"

"Any _more_?" she repeated, poking him in the chest — where his shirt still covered — with her finger. "Stop… doing whatever it was you did. Do _not_ act like Logan on missions! You're going to drive me to an early grave."

"He saved Steve and beat the bad guy, Katie. Your man's a hero," Clint supplied helpfully.

"I _know;_ that's what makes it so frustrating," Kate shot back, trying to step around Kurt to get to Clint. "And what's the idea anyway — sending out my two best boys _without me_ and leaving me behind to just… _die_."

"Zemo's a swordsman?" Kurt tried.

"And Kurt beat him, so that makes him… I don't know. The new reigning champion or something. We'll come up with a title and engrave it on something shiny so you can brag about him," Clint assured Kate. "Now, stop getting mad at me and help me take him to Medical so you can get mad at me there instead."

Kate looked slightly mollified as she took Kurt by the good arm and headed to the medical bay with them, her head tilted to one side as she looked Kurt over. "You beat Zemo?" she asked, something like a smile at the corner of her lips. "And I _missed_ it?"

"You'll be even more jealous to hear that Clint helped," Kurt said. "With my second sword."

She looked surprised and turned to Clint, who gave her an awkward sort of wave, and then back to Kurt. "This is a colossal injustice," she informed them both. "I can't believe I _missed_ it."

"It was pretty cool," Kurt said. "Apart from getting sliced and diced."

"Yeah, you're both still on the hook for that," Kate told them, though not with nearly the same venom as before. "Come on, Kurt. Let's get you patched up properly."


	3. Pick a Team

**Chapter 3: Pick A Team**

* * *

 _August 4_

 _SHIELD Base Two_

* * *

"So you're sure you still want to be a field agent?" Coulson asked as he and Skye made their way to Fury's office.

"Yeah, for sure," Skye said, nodding as she kept stride with him.

"And it has nothing to do with wanting to be on any particular teams?"

Skye smirked. "I _don't_ want to be on Logan's team, if that's what you're asking," she promised.

"No, I was thinking you'd like to be on a team with May, or even the rest of the Awesomes. Though … you know that Weapon X won't be operational forever, right?"

"Yeah, I know," she said. "And for your information — just for the future? Logan and I saved the entirety of the Tahiti team with Clara so… just file that away, AC. We make a great team. Him and me."

"I know, I read the reports," he said with a nod. "I just want to make sure you're going into this for the right reasons."

She turned to face Coulson a little better and gave him a reassuring grin as well as a thumbs up. "Don't worry — I just want to be more involved, that's all."

"Well this is certainly one way to do it … _director_ ," he teased with the tiniest of smirks before he pushed Fury's door open for her.

"Oh, now _you're_ starting too?" she grinned back at him as she slipped past him.

"Yes I am," he replied with a little smile.

"You know that means I outrank you," she teased.

"Not yet," Coulson replied as they took their seats in front of Fury, and Skye smirked and mouthed out 'soon.'

"If you two are done fooling around, we've got actual work to do," Fury said as he dropped the files in front of them both. "We have a solid lead on Garrett. I want him gone. He's still got enough intel on SHIELD to cause us issues."

Skye leaned forward with a sort of frown on her face, though she nodded carefully. "Where's he been holed up?" she asked in a tone that said she'd been _trying_ to find him.

"It wasn't easy," Fury said with a deeper tone. "But he finally popped up in Three. We wouldn't have found him at all if he hadn't ticked off the Yashida family. They were hiding him until very recently."

"That would explain things," Coulson said with one eyebrow raised.

"So, whenever you two are ready, we can go."

"Ready when you are," Skye said, making a sweeping gesture. "But…" She paused and looked torn for a moment, trying to decide between the pick and the honest question before she settled on, "Aren't you too old for this kind of thing, sir?" with a crooked grin.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," Fury said with a look.

Skye beamed at him before she slipped out to go get ready, grabbing the gauntlets from her room before she met up with the two SHIELD higher-ups in the hangar.

In short order, the three of them were airborne, with Fury piloting. The flight was quick and quiet, and when they headed out to get into the mission, all of them were deadly serious and on the hunt.

The trail to Garrett took them past the areas controlled by the Yashida clan — and as they passed it was hard to miss the way that the guards seemed that they were watching them, tracking their path even as they remained perfectly hidden.

Subconsciously, Skye tugged at the edges of her sleeves that covered her gauntlets. "Glad we're not fighting _them_ ," she muttered out of the corner of her mouth to Coulson.

"No kidding," Coulson replied. "Those guys are nasty."

The three of them made their way further in, close to the tech sector. Even in hiding, it seemed Garrett had a taste for lavish things, and with some of the more powerful tech families in the area, even the houses that weren't owned by one of the big families were nice — to keep up the appearance of the neighborhood. And Garrett was at the top of what amounted to an apartment complex — though he had the entire top floor to himself. Or all to Hydra, as the case was.

Skye took the chance to stand back and watch Fury and Coulson work together. The two old SHIELD agents worked easily side by side as they disabled the security measures and cleared a path. Skye almost felt like she was there to take in the show — not that she minded. Technically, she was still "training." And who else could say that they got to see Coulson and Fury doing this kind of stuff up close and personal?

"You get that laser mic working yet?" Fury asked as they got closer to the right couple of houses. "Or are we planning on doing a surgical strike on every apartment in this place?"

"Please," Skye said, waving her hand. "Fitz helped me put the final touches on this thing, like, the second I got back from Seven."

"I'm surprised you could concentrate with all the hubbub going on," Fury said dryly.

"I know how to multitask."

"Mmmhmm," he replied as she focused on which was the one housing the small Hydra group. When she pointed it out, he looked to the apartment buildings on either side of it and picked the one that was an extra story taller. "We'll go in from up top," he decided.

"Got it," Coulson said as he stood up, already moving to where Fury had pointed out.

From there, it was just a matter of timing. They could see Garrett's men pacing and keeping their watches, but it wasn't long before Garrett himself was spotted — in high spirits in spite of the fact that all intel said that he and his men were facing an inevitable forcible removal from Three by Yashida's men.

When the group of black-clad soldiers left the room, Fury pointed to the one next to it before Coulson shot a grappling line across the short distance that separated the two buildings.

They slid over — one at a time, with Skye in the middle — before they regrouped and listened to what Garrett was trying to say to rally his troops.

"Does he ever shut up, or is this one of those 'just loves the sound of his voice' situations?" Skye asked.

"Yes," Coulson said with a little smirk. "That's it exactly."

"So … why did you ask me to come along with you then? Just to share in the torture?"

"You said you wanted field experience," Coulson pointed out. "And I'd like to see what you can do to think about team assignments."

"Fun," she said almost under her breath as it seemed like Garrett was really getting running.

"What do you think, Coulson?" Fury asked. "You think your girl can nail the shot from here?"

"That's what all her scores on the range say," Coulson said, though he was watching Skye, who startled the slightest on realizing that both of them were focused on her.

"Well… yeah," she said, trying to recover. "I can hit him from here."

"Well, now's your chance," Fury said, perfectly calmly.

She glanced his way and took in a deep breath before she nodded and got Garrett in her sights. He was still pontificating, going on about how SHIELD had no idea the "rude awakening" they were in for — big talk when SHIELD had District Five almost entirely out of Hydra's control — as she took in a deep breath, held it, and pulled the trigger.

As soon as she'd fired, she'd closed her eyes, so it took a moment for her to realize that all hell had broken loose — and all of Garrett's men were in a panic trying to figure out what had happened and who was responsible. Which was the perfect cover for Fury and Coulson to do their thing.

They barely seemed to take a second to think about it before they physically moved her to a safer hiding spot and started picking Hydra agents off one by one, not a word spoken between them as they seamlessly covered each other and Skye.

When it was all said and done, the two of them had cleared the room and confirmed that Garrett was dead. It wasn't until after that when Skye seemed to get her wits back about her and rushed to an open laptop in the Hydra-infested apartment to pull the hard drive and pocket it.

"As long as they haven't changed codes on me, we should have intel on this in, oh, fifteen minutes after we land," Skye said with a little nod, trying to regain a little of her usual confidence.

"Wonderful. Do it as soon as we get back," Fury said. "I'd like to get moving before Yashida decides to make a move on _us._ "

"Yeah, I hear that," Skye agreed quickly, already moving to fall into step with the two of them with a little more get-up-and-go.

With the excellent job that Fury and Coulson had done clearing the place, though, they really didn't have problems getting back to the jet — beyond that same creepy feeling that they were being watched all the way through Yashida territory. And with Fury at the stick, it didn't feel like any time at all before they were back at the base and, as she'd promised, Skye had the intel from Garrett's computer in Fury's office by fourteen minutes after landing.

"Thank you, Agent Skye," Fury said as he took over on the laptop. "No need to debrief."

She nodded at that. "Makes sense," she said, scooting along and out of the room — and headed down the hall to where she knew her favorite space heater would be.

As it turned out, Logan and Kurt were drinking and joking around, both of them grinning — though it was pretty clear that Kurt was deeper into it than Logan was. They were leaning halfway against each other and chuckling as Peter tried to talk them into reprising their singing career.

"Kurt might, but I'm nowhere near that drunk," Logan chuckled even as he lifted his glass again, though when he saw Skye, he raised it a bit higher. "You need one, darlin'?"

She grinned at him and slid over to where he was to steal his glass from him. "Yes please," she said, getting settled in. "How long has this been going on?"

"Probably not near long enough," he replied. "But all the big bosses were gone and May finally paid up… so…."

"And with May in charge and owing what she did…" Kurt added, his grin growing more crooked.

"Actually, Miss Maria Christina Hill is in charge for the moment. Or .. she was."

"She's on the other side of the base," Kurt said, waving his hand. "Doesn't count."

"Well, May left after she had a drink with us," Logan pointed out. "Other side of the base."

"This is also true," Kurt said with a serious nod. "We," he said, leaning forward and grinning Skye's way, "have been _unsupervised_."

"But … if we go by age, we can say that Quill was in charge," Logan decided.

"Nonsense," Kurt scoffed. "We could never say that."

"Yeah, well — we can blame him for letting us get liquored up. Buncha underage troublemakers." Logan leaned closer to Skye to whisper the rest. "You know. Because he's busy with Kitty. _Distracted_."

"Yes, well, that's what happens when the mistress kills the wife," Skye chuckled.

"He got lucky," Logan decided with a nod.

Skye grinned and leaned into Logan as she finished off the glass he had been holding for him. "Got your tense wrong there, sweetheart," she teased.

"Did I now?"

She grinned even wider. "Yes. He's _getting_ lucky. Get it right."

"I'm still questioning how wrong I am, because I still think I'm right."

"That's because you're incapable of admitting you're wrong," she accused him.

"I can admit it," he argued. "But I'm just sayin'. They've been gone a long time. _Unsupervised_. Nothin' sayin' we both ain't right."

"Really. Both of you," Kurt interjected, looking a little stern. "That's my _katzchen_ you're talking about."

"Not everyone can keep going with longingly staring into each other's eyes and holding hands. She's a grown ... " Logan stopped when he saw the look of betrayal and tried for a moment to hide the smirk before he shook his head and began to pour more whiskey. "You need another drink. I can't talk to you like this."

Kurt shook his head at Logan, tipping his head back to look up at the ceiling. "You are incorrigible, _mein Freund_."

"Then why do you keep stickin' around?" he asked.

At that, Kurt brought his head back to a more normal position and grinned at Logan. "Where else am I going to find a best friend like you?" he asked.

Logan grinned back at him and nodded. "Fair enough." He turned to Skye. "So what are we doing? Do I need to get you all liquored up so you can sleep?"

She shook her head with a little smile, though she muttered out a "maybe" as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"That sounds serious," Logan said, tipping his head down to look at her.

She shrugged lightly and waved her hand. "Oh, yeah. It's fine. Just shot a guy is all."

"You kill 'im?" Logan asked, suddenly more interested in her than the previous conversation, especially when she paused.

"Yeah, I did," she said finally, though her tone betrayed her attempt to look nonchalant about it.

He nodded and waited for her to finish the second drink before he took the glass out of her hand, stood up, and picked her up to carry her off. "You need some privacy. And less liquor."

"No, no, the drink's helping," she said even as she was sliding her hands around his neck to hold on a little better.

"Yeah, I know all about how much the drinking helps," he said with a nod. "Don't make my mistakes too."

She paused at that, met his gaze, and melted into a warm smile as she kissed his cheek. "You're such a good guy," she whispered in his ear.

"Shows what you know," he countered flatly.

"Hey, I know plenty," she said. "I know a lot of things. I'm the future director of SHIELD."

"Uh-huh. Well, I know you probably need to curl up and sleep for the next twelve hours or so."

That had her grinning and nodding to herself in agreement. "Yes," she said. "That sounds really, really nice."

"Then that's what you'll get," he promised. "I won't let anyone bug you."

* * *

 _August 9_

 _Briefing Room in Tahiti_

* * *

The mood around SHIELD in general was high, because it really felt like they were making progress in the three-way war between the Capitol, Hydra and SHIELD. With the Capitol destroying Hydra bases on Natasha's intel, and with Hydra missing its top scientist and one of its leaders — both of whom were well tucked away in SHIELD's prison — SHIELD had a solid hold on nearly half of Marvel's districts. All the outer districts except for Six and part of Five had allied themselves with SHIELD, with Seven being the exception and preferring to stick to their own business. They were confident they could make inroads into even the inner districts if they played their cards right.

Hydra's hold on Six was too hard to break for the moment, but Three… Three was in the air. And even One and Two, while incredibly loyal to the Capitol, had potential, possibly, to sway their efforts toward fighting Hydra more than fighting SHIELD — if nothing else, because they were already feeling the strain from a highly reduced supply of food from the outer districts.

Riding the high of their recent successes and pressing for more, SHIELD was getting ready for a big push — several missions out at once.

There were far too many of them to brief all at once, and the missions were so varied and far between, but Coulson started out with the groups that would have to travel the furthest. He'd just finished sending off the group of Parker, Quill, Barton, and Summers to Twelve to investigate reports that someone — possibly Hydra — was taking advantage of the remote location to try and press-gang kids into slave labor in the mines, thinking SHIELD wouldn't pay as much attention to the smallest district in Marvel.

With a group like that going out to put a stop to it, whoever was in Twelve was in for a rude awakening.

Coulson's next meeting was with a group headed to Eleven, and while he wasn't surprised at all to see that Miles Morales was all but bouncing in place — and early to the briefing as he was filled with excitement, as usual — he was surprised to see Luke Cage and Jessica Jones chatting easily all the way into the room, moreso when he saw the easy way Luke had an arm around the girl's shoulder. He knew that Jessica didn't like to be touched, and he knew that Luke preferred to be left to himself — and while the two of them had indeed been friendly ever since Jessica was brought back to life, Coulson was still trying to wrap his head around just _how_ friendly they were with each other.

Last to arrive was Ororo, who seemed to be getting taller every month as she approached sixteen. She was usually piloting, so Coulson didn't see her as often as the others, and he was always, always taken aback by how much she'd grown since the Games. She and Cassie and the other younger tributes ... Coulson would never get used to seeing their childhoods pass him by.

"This should be a relatively easy mission," he promised the group of them once they were seated. "Eleven has been an ally of SHIELD's since the beginning. We're going to try and shore them up a bit, give them supplies and support."

The group of kids nodded their understanding at that. "They could use it," Luke said in a low tone.

Coulson nodded. "You and Jessica will be in charge of making sure the rebels in Eleven get some much-needed medical supplies." He turned Ororo's way. "And I'd like you and Miles to go to a few key places in the district. Shore up support."

"You've _got_ Eleven's support," Miles pointed out, his nose wrinkled up the slightest bit in confusion.

"Yes, we do," Coulson said. "We have the support of the people who have been rebelling against the Capitol since the very beginning." He carefully folded his hands in front of himself. "What I'm asking you to do is help us to shore up support from the general populace themselves."

"And you think _we_ can do that." Miles pointed between himself and Ororo, still looking confused. "I don't know who you've been talking to, but I wasn't exactly Mr. Popular back home."

"Neither was I," Ororo said with a small frown and a nod.

"I think you'll be surprised," Coulson said with a soft smile at the two young people. "And I'd like you to at least try."

Miles and Ororo glanced at each other and then both simply shrugged. "Can't hurt," Miles said with a little nod.

* * *

The group that Coulson had hand-picked for Three was almost a no-brainer, though explaining that to the two old Three residents had proven to be an interesting undertaking.

"You've _got_ to be freakin' kidding me," Stark said, his jokes falling to the wayside as Logan stepped into Coulson's office. "He is _not_ on our team. Coulson. _Agent._ No."

But Coulson had held up both hands to try and placate Tony just a bit. "Hear me out before you say something you'll regret." He fixed Tony with a look, and only after the young genius let out a sigh and pulled one corner of his mouth back into a resigned expression did Coulson continue.

"You and Rhodes have the bigger part of this job, absolutely, but one sector that you've yet to breach — that SHIELD as a whole has yet to breach — is the other side of Three. The powerful families that _aren't_ as well known in the tech district."

"The criminal sect. That does make sense," Tony said with an appraising look Logan's way.

"You know as well as I do that the Yashida clan is every bit as influential as your father," Coulson said.

"But they won't have any dealings with anyone that doesn't speak Japanese _and_ understand their culture," Stark pointed out. "What's our resident lumberjack going to do for us there?"

"Speak with them," Coulson said. "In Japanese."

Both Tony and Rhodey looked Logan's way for a moment, but with very different expressions on their faces. Rhodes was amused, but not surprised in the least. He'd known as much from their last foray into Three — but Tony had somehow missed that tidbit.

"Oh come on," Tony said, with a look of disbelief as Logan took a seat on Rhodey's other side.

" _O shiri no itami,_ " Logan muttered, though it wasn't clear who he was speaking to, and Coulson gave him a look for it.

"I've heard you use that one before, and it better not mean what I think it does."

"It probably doesn't," Logan replied as he settled in. "but you can tell me what you think it means and I'll tell you how close you are."

Coulson gave him a drier look than usual but brushed past the comment as he started to tell them about the details of their mission — and as much as Stark hated to hear it, Logan was the right fit for the job.

"I can't believe _you're_ our foreign language guy," Stark muttered as the three of them headed for the hangar, though if he was expecting an apology from Logan, he would be waiting a long time.

* * *

There were enough missions heading out that Coulson wasn't the only one briefing either. Hill had picked up a few briefings herself, and by the time that she'd finished telling May and Skye about the simple peacekeeping mission to Seven, she was already prepared to just man the tech aspect of things and watch over the massive group of operatives out and about.

She met Coulson in the hall outside of the last briefing rooms. "So, you're sure that this massive push is a good idea?" she asked as they fell into step together. "Seems like an awful lot of kids running wild at one time."

"Not sure you noticed, but … they're not kids anymore," Coulson replied. "And I don't think most of them have been in a long time."

She slowed just a bit in her pace, and he predictably slowed with her. "Are you planning to monitor them?" Hill asked. "I was planning to meet up with Fury and see how long he took before he started picking favorites to listen to. It's almost like he stacked some of these on purpose just for the swearing potential."

"Like he's never done that before," Coulson said with a crooked smirk. "Remember the debacle in Ten when we were scouting six years ago?"

"I'll have you know I try very hard to forget things like that," Hill replied. "It's just not something you want to go back to very often."

Coulson's smirk just widened at that, and he shook his head to himself as he held the door open for her into the main monitoring office. "Come on — let's see how wild those kids will be running around unsupervised."

She raised an eyebrow at him as she passed him by into the office, though it was quickly apparent once they got settled in that there would be, quite simply, plenty of swearing to go around.

Surprisingly, most of the trouble was the victors, not the Tahiti kids. America Chavez, despite the fact that she was clearly dating the dark-haired little stylist from Eight, had apparently taken a liking to Betsy Braddock, and was very loudly detailing exactly what she liked about Betsy to an increasingly scandalized Kamala Khan. And Peter Quill was determinedly refusing to call Scott Summers by his given name — though Clint wasn't exactly helping matters there. And Logan … seemed to be annoying Tony by just his presence on the team and what he was assigned to do there.

Probably the most peaceful group of kids — over the radio, at least — was the one they'd sent to Eight to check into Norman Osborn's company. The district itself was a solid ally of SHIELD's, but Osborn himself had never actually picked a side, so Kate, Kurt, Kitty, and Bruce had been sent to check in on him — and the most surprising part of their chatter was the fact that Kate and Kurt were being mostly professional and that Bruce and Kitty were deep in conversation on some technical matters.

Coulson knew that Kitty was smart, but hearing her go toe-to-toe with Bruce just solidified it for him, and he made a mental note to make sure she got a little more time in the lab — even if she was doing well in fight training and had the best marks in infiltration for any of the Tahiti kids. The girl could get into _anything_.

But really, those were the only surprises. Beyond that, it was the normal, excited chatter as the kids got into place, and Coulson leaned back with a cup of coffee and half an eye on Fury. It could be fun, he decided, to see how long it took before the swearing started.

* * *

To both Hill and Coulson's surprise, the swearing 'seal' was broken by Rhodey. Not mid-mission as expected … but when he and Tony met up with Logan again.

While Stark and Rhodes were out testing armor and fighting the good fight — it appeared Logan had simply had a traditional tea time with the head of the Yashida. When they saw him headed to the plane - perfectly clean, no blood or sweat anywhere, the older victor simply started swearing.

"Anyone pick Rhodes in the pool?" Coulson asked, and Hill slowly shook her head.

"That team's out of it then," she replied. "There has to be something the others would swear over."

"I actually had my money on Jessica Jones," Coulson admitted.

"Well, maybe you can get second place," Hill said with a shrug. "I put my money on Quill."

"No, he's got someone to pick on — or haven't you heard the chatter on the radio this whole time?" Coulson smirked.

"I have," she said, nodding. "Someone should talk to him about that. Kid's going to get a complex if he keeps it up."

"Sounds like you're the woman for the job," Coulson said.

"You know how well the victors listen anyhow," Hill said, sounding almost resigned to it already. "I just don't know why he has to bring it up. It's not like it's impactful at this point."

"You should tell him as much," Coulson said, still with that same smirk in place.

"Alright, just as soon as you get Stark to drop the attitude."

Coulson actually chuckled at that. "Fair enough."

* * *

 _District Eight_

* * *

The Oscorp building stood taller than everything else in the area in District Eight, and as the little group of Tahiti kids got to it, Kate just had to shake her head.

"It's a good thing we didn't bring Clint," she whispered to Kurt. "There's a compensation joke here, and he would say it to Osborn's face."

"I'm sure he would," Kurt agreed. "But he's got Peter ... _s_. Both of them."

Kate giggled at that. "Lucky him."

"Oh, I don't know," Kurt said with a smile as he kissed her cheek. "I think I'm pretty lucky with this assignment too."

"Are you two going to flirt the _whole time_?" Kitty asked with both eyebrows raised. "Because if you can't stop … maybe someone was right about you two."

" _Why_ would we stop?" Kurt asked with an impish grin and one hand around Kate's waist.

"Why would you prove Logan right that _maybe_ the holding hands and staring at each other isn't enough?" Kitty asked with an expectant look.

"Did you _want_ us to just… right in front of you?" Kate countered with one eyebrow raised and a smirk at Kurt's expression.

"Could be educational," she replied without a beat missing, her arms crossed.

"Why don't we just talk with Osborn before we start any classes," Bruce suggested.

"I'm just riling them," Kitty said. "There's no danger there of these two doing anything but you know ..." She clasped her hands under her chin and did her best false swoon, complete with fluttering eyelashes.

"Well, Osborn has cameras everywhere," Bruce said mildly. "So unless our Nightcrawler is an exhibitionist…"

"You never know," Kitty said with a little shrug as she bounced over to Bruce. "Once that Pandora's box gets cracked open … anything could happen."

"We'll encourage them to get with the program when we can be sure the Green Goblin won't have evidence," Bruce suggested to her in a low whisper.

"Does that mean you're on our side to pick at them until Kurt loses his temper?" she asked just as quietly.

Bruce just gave her a little smirk. "I can tell you from experience — no sense in not seizing the chance. And she's there."

"Great; let's get this mission going then. I want to get back quickly if we can."

The four of them approached the Oscorp building that way — with Kitty and Bruce ready to go and Kate and Kurt halfway watching them with suspicion. But when they arrived, it was to find Osborn's guards, not the victor himself.

"No entry," the guard said, looking over the group of them with a serious frown.

"We just want to say hi," Kate said with her sweetest smile, though it was obvious the guard wasn't buying it.

"Is there any way that we could speak with ?" Bruce said, sounding much more reasonable than Kate's attempt. "Or … even set up an appointment to meet with him?"

The guard looked them both over. "You can call ahead for an appointment, but he won't take it," he sneered. "No soldiers, no agents. Green, blue, or white."

"All the same," Bruce said, perfectly calmly. "Perhaps he might be more open if he knew that I'm keeping my options open for labs to work in." He extended his hand for a moment, looking perfectly confident. "Bruce Banner, formerly of District Six. I'm an inventor. I'm sure he's aware of some of my work. Most of it was assimilated by the Capitol after my death in the Games."

The guard seemed taken aback. And maybe it was simply the fact that Bruce was so polite and matter-of-fact about it, but the guard did at last raise an eyebrow and allow them to make the appointment request.

It wasn't much, but on the other hand, as Bruce pointed out when they turned around to head back, "At least we know he isn't talking to Hydra or the Capitol either."

"I don't see how anyone can try to sit on the sidelines like that," Kitty said, her arms crossed as she shook her head. "How can you _not_ get involved? Even if you try to stay out of it, a war across the whole country _is_ going to affect you. Like it or not."

"I wouldn't be surprised if he's just waiting to see who comes out on top of the dogfight," Bruce said, shaking his head to himself.

"Yeah, well…" Kate blew her breath out, moving her bangs with the whoosh of air. "That just makes him even more of a creep. I mean, I know Pete and Gwen said he tried to help them, but he totally hit every one of my creep radar buttons when we were tributes."

"Creep radar?" Kitty repeated with a smirk.

"Oh, don't act like you don't have one," Kate said, shoving Kitty in the shoulder with a smile. "Every girl does."

"Oh, sure. I've just never heard it described that way," Kitty snickered.

"Every _one_ has one," Bruce corrected. "Don't pretend like guys don't get creeped out by crazy women too."

"Voice of experience?" Kate sang out sweetly.

"His mentor was the Red Skull," Kurt pointed out. "Imagine the conversations between him and Viper…"

Kate and Kitty glanced at each other and both did a full-body shiver. "Eww."

"She was around from time to time," Bruce said. "They have a _thing._ "

"I need to take a shower just _hearing_ about that," Kate said, shaking her head fervently. "Ewww."

"Without sounding too creepy? I'm told there might be a water crisis," Bruce said with a smirk. "You should conserve. Especially if you're just rinsing off the creeps."

"I think he's trying to suggest that you save water and shower with an _Elf._ " Kitty was giggling to herself as she nearly skipped along with them.

Both Kate and Kurt paused and glanced at each other, significantly pinker around the edges. "We… you…" Kate muttered.

"That was what I was saying. But … I was trying to be more subtle," Bruce said, shaking his head to himself.

"Well, I'm not," Kitty said, grinning at Kate and Kurt. "I'd rather my best friend in the world was happy."

"He'll get with it. Sooner rather than later if he's smart," Bruce said to Kitty. "And if he doesn't, then his best friend will start being _not_ subtle."

"You do know we spent a few days in Four bunked up, right?" Kate said, flushing even deeper.

"And … you're still not breaking any rules?" Bruce asked, frowning.

"It's none of your business," Kate said.

"Well no, of course not, but seeing as I've had this talk before — and it turned out well — I feel like I had to at least try for your benefit." Bruce held up both hands. "Won't push you. Promise."

"Well, you can just tell everyone to _stop_ , because — because we _are_ and just — shut up," Kate spluttered. "I can't _believe_ I'm having this conversation right now."

Bruce and Kitty shared a look and started snickering, though again, Bruce was quick to look non-confrontational. "Okay, Kate."

"It's no one's business," Kurt said calmly. "And … though it's no one's concern, I will ask you to please trust us on this and do _not_ try to send Logan after me _again._ "

"Again?" Kitty repeated, both eyebrows raised high as she leaned forward.

"I'm not giving you the details," Kurt said flatly.

"At least out of everyone here, _I_ didn't need the push from Logan," Kitty pointed out, her chin tipped up.

"That's because everyone saw Peter tackle you in the hallway and carry you off in his victory lap," Kate shot back.

"He was _thanking me_ for killing the Wicked Witch of the West," Kitty said with her nose tipped up.

"Very thorough gratitude," Kate said.

"Yes, yes, very very thorough," Kitty giggled.

Kurt held up both hands. "Please, there are some things that I don't want to hear about my favorite _katzchen_."

At that, Kitty fell apart laughing, holding her stomach as she folded halfway over. "Awwww, but I just want to make sure you're just as happy!"

"Morseo," Kurt shot back, one arm around Kate with her hand at her waist. "And I didn't need to kill anyone to win my love's affection."

"Well I didn't _need_ to," Kitty said. "I already _had_ his affection. It was just … housekeeping."

"Same," Kate said. "But if you _want_ to help… you and Bruce can pilot."

"I'll make sure the mics are off," Bruce said, elbowing Kitty as they reached the jet. "As much as we're behind you for this, we still don't want to broadcast it back to Fury's desk."

…...

From Japanese (romaji):

 _O shiri no itami_ \- pain in the backside


	4. Let's Make a Deal

**Chapter 4: Let's Make a Deal**

* * *

 _District Twelve_

* * *

"So, Coulson made this out to be like some kind of big deal… and I'm telling you guys, I'm not seeing anything," Clint said with a frown as he scouted out the mine entrance. It was clear even without going inside that no one had been in the place for ages. No one in the district wanted to keep working there, and it didn't look like anyone else had stepped in to take over.

"That's what the intel said," Quill replied with a shrug. "It can be wrong from time to time, you know. That or …" He kicked a rock across the opening to the mine. "... you know. They already skedaddled."

"Operation that size? With forced labor? Would take a while to move," Clint pointed out, peering inside.

Quill just shrugged. "Bad intel?"

"Must be," Clint said, shrugging up one shoulder.

"Think we should bring Coulson something to prove it wasn't anything big? Maybe a handful of daisies or something?"

Clint chuckled at that. "If you can find daisies in the mines, that's some kind of magic trick, Quill."

"Well I meant outside … on the way back to the jet? There were a bunch of 'em out there." Quill grinned. "Put the Million Dollar Kid to use, show him how to make a daisy chain. Useful skill with the girls, kiddo."

"That how you got a wife _and_ a mistress?" Clint had to tease.

"Just my great looks, apparently," Quill countered.

Clint looked him over for a long moment and then shook his head. "Don't see it."

"Well, I'd ask how you got two lady spies looking your way, but I don't think _they_ even know the answer to that one," he deadpanned.

" _One_ spy lady," Clint corrected him.

"Two," Quill argued. "That little redhead totally counts."

"Best friend. Don't read anything into it. I tried, and it didn't work, and we're fine as is."

"Uh-huh," Peter replied from a few paces back as he turned to Scott. "Wade calls it a 'Clintasha monster'. Says it'll come roaring to life and eat anyone in its path. I think it sounds legit."

"That sounds like a Wade thing to say," Scott said with a small smirk.

"Yeah, you can't base the validity of any relationship off of that guy," Clint argued.

"He _called_ half the couples that are an item right now," Peter replied. "Or _more_. There is definitely something to Crazy Wade and his all knowing … whatever."

"Pete." Clint gave him a look. "Anyone with a working brain could have called half these couples."

"He called Scott and Clara," Peter said. "Before … well. Anything."

Scott turned to Peter with a more interested look. "When?"

"Shortly after the Reaping," Peter replied. "He said something about how … that was a much better blonde to deal with? I don't know. Half of what he says makes no sense."

" _I_ didn't even know until after the Games that I wanted to date her," Scott admitted with a small frown.

"So her kissing you during the Games wasn't a big enough clue?" Quill asked with a frown.

"I wasn't exactly planning on surviving. Getting a steady girlfriend wasn't high on my priorities," Scott pointed out. "Getting Kamala out was much higher."

"Well, we need to work on your priorities just a little bit," Quill laughed.

"My priorities are fine," Scott said, one eyebrow raised.

As Quill turned to give Scott a hard time, Clint let out a little curse as he tripped on some uneven ground in the tunnel, and the next thing he knew, he was upside down, dangling high over the other's heads. An alarm had obviously been tripped, judging by how the rather dim lighting in the tunnel dampened even further and was replaced with a soft red glow.

"Well. Alright then," Clint said once he'd finished swinging, trying to steady himself, though he couldn't quite reach the sides of the mine, even with the tips of his fingers, and he was too high up to reach the others, either.

"You alright?" Peter asked.

"Fine," Clint said, trying to twist and see the rope that had him by the ankle.

"I think I can follow it back," Scott offered, tracing the line of the rope visually with one finger.

As Scott worked at how to get Clint down without breaking his neck, the sound of stomping feet echoed the tunnels. "Oh, that's just perfect," Quill muttered. "Stupid comms don't work this far underground. I'm going to run up and let Coulson know what we're up against. Try to be quick, Million Dollar Kid."

"We'll meet you out there," Scott promised.

Quill didn't look back as he ran out, comm in hand. When he finally hit the night air — which was amazingly uplifting after being in the mine even for that short time — he hit the button to call for help. "Hawkeye got caught up in some kind of rope trap," he said. "The others are trying to get him out, but you said you wanted updates on stupid crap like this so … consider yourself updated. I'm heading back in."

* * *

"Oh look," Hill said. "Fury won this pool. You were next to curse. Color me surprised."

Coulson glared her way for a moment before he returned his glare at the communications equipment. Quill wasn't answering — too deep in the mines — and he let out a breath of frustration, biting back the swear that he would have let out just because Hill was looking at him like that.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose with one hand. "I need a check-in from the other teams," he said, straightening up after a moment.

Hill just smirked as she leaned forward and started down the list. "Mandatory check-in," she called out. "Everyone able to speak, do so. If someone is out, let us know now so we can have medical waiting."

All of the kids that were still out checked in quickly, though Kamala checked in with the addition of, "Did something happen?"

"We're not going to get into it over the air right now. First team back is going to run pick up for someone," Hill said. "So if you're done and still looking for action … now would be the time to hurry home."

"You know I'm always up for more," America said, the grin obvious in her voice.

Hill checked the radar to see where they were in relation to Quill's team. "Alright then," Hill said. "Coordinates headed your way. Stay under the radar when you get close to them."

* * *

Quill was panicking — but only a little bit — when he got back to where he could have sworn the others had been only to find a few cut ropes. Thankfully, there was no blood or anything that would have suggested that Clint had fallen badly, but … there was no Clint either. "Stupid move, leaving them alone," he muttered to himself. "Probably got mixed up … went the wrong way or ... " He raised his voice slightly, "... they're playing a prank on me. Bad timing guys."

But when he heard an unfamiliar voice echoing the tunnel, he muttered out a curse and rushed off as quickly and quietly as he could into a little side tunnel that was nowhere near big enough to hide more than one person sideways. He was thanking his lucky stars for having worn head to toe black as he covered his face and the Hydra guard walked right by him, shining his light down the tunnel that he'd come down.

He waited until they passed by and started to head down behind them when he quickly realized exactly how bad this could be. He turned back to the entrance, reminding himself that he'd already notified Coulson of the situation and that help _had_ to be on the way. He only got a few steps, though, before his foot slipped slightly on something. He picked up his foot, knowing that there were no rocks in the tunnel itself. But the last thing he expected to see on the stony floor was a dart.

His eyes widened, and he looked back down the tunnel for a moment before he bent down to pick it up, swearing quietly to himself as he turned and headed for the entrance at a much quicker pace. He kept quiet until he was in the trees, and then he went to his comm, hissing out what he'd found as well as the fact that he could see already that the jet his team had flown in was in flames. "They freakin' know we're here! And I've got a _dart_ that was just … lying on the ground!"

"How bad is it? Do you have eyes on any of your team?" Coulson asked, sounding concerned.

"No! They took them deeper into the mine, and I barely hid from the one guard. I can't go down there without a better layout of where I can hide, because let me tell you — bare walls? Pretty crappy!" He was shouting by the end of it, pacing and looking frustrated to anyone that might have seen him.

"Just calm down. We've got a team headed your way," Coulson said, though he sounded upset as well. "Keep an eye on the exits and let us know if they leave."

"There was only the one," Quill replied. "The rest are air shafts too narrow for anyone to get in and out of."

"Sit tight. Our team is en route."

* * *

The SHIELD leadership in the monitoring room were all waiting for an update on the situation in Twelve. The other missions had more or less wrapped up — successfully — and most of the teams were headed back in, but the second America radioed in that her team had touched down in Twelve, that's where the full focus was. Until someone broke into their comms.

"I do hope you didn't turn off all the comms," a familiar voice said, echoing the room. "But I'll give you exactly five minutes to get your jet out of this district before we open fire on them. Then … and only then, will I negotiate."

Coulson glanced at the other two, the microphone muted as he leaned in. "Negotiate," he repeated, the word like a curse. "At least that means they're alive."

"At least one, anyway," Hill said with a frown.

Coulson gave her a dry look for a moment before he went to the comm to relay what they'd heard to the team on the ground in District Twelve and to Quill — to tell him to get a move on if he wanted a lift out of there. It had been four minutes when Betsy signalled that they were in the air again, with Quill, and Coulson let out a breath.

"Don't go too far," Coulson told them. "We might need you to go in again if this goes too far south."

"More than it already has?" America shot back over the comms as they signalled that they were leaving all the same.

"Cutting it close," their guest speaker — recognizably Viper — said. "My demands will be sent shortly."

The three of them shared a look before Coulson was the one to answer — he was lowest-ranked among them and was well-known to run the Tahiti program. There was no sense in letting the woman on the other end of Clint's comm know how high up her audience went.

"Your demands in exchange for…" Coulson said, keeping his tone even. "I'm sure you know we're not just going to roll over at empty threats."

"I have three of your reanimated tributes, alive and well — for now. If you want me to make them scream as proof that they can still breathe, I will. Otherwise, I'll provide proof when I send my demands."

"And how can we expect you to send them?" Coulson asked evenly.

"Agent Coulson," she laughed, "unless you've changed all the channels and plan to block me off of this one — you'll find it soon enough."

"Why the delay?" Coulson asked. "Checking with your superiors?"

"No," she replied. "Just making sure that you don't try to double back or send in additional forces. Unless you think you can reanimate them _twice_? In which case … by all means. Send them back."

Coulson gritted his teeth, eyes narrowed. "Come on, Ophelia," he said. "Hard to meet demands we can't find."

"You've found us easily enough. Do you really think that you can hide completely?" Viper replied before she let out a very amused-sounding chuckle. "In ten minutes, check your broadcast. I'll keep the comm on so they can answer your questions as to how well they are themselves."

* * *

The team that had gone to Three was first to land at the SHIELD base of the many teams that had gone out. It was late at night, and it was apparent as they unloaded that Rhodes was still irritated.

"Some of us have to _work_ for a living," he muttered out Logan's way as his fellow victor smirked at him.

"Don't be mad," Logan replied with a little chuckle. "They had no way of knowing which way that meeting was gonna go. It coulda just as easily been fifty ninjas instead of tea."

"And you'd've been just as happy," Rhodey grumbled.

Logan had to chuckle. "Yes. Yes I would."

"Getting all the cushy assignments since you got on Fury's team, huh?" Rhodey asked.

"I'm sure you can go play with 'em next time if you insist on it," Logan replied. "Just gotta go learn Japanese real quick first."

"Don't tempt me. I just might," he grumbled.

"You do that," Logan replied with a smirk as Tony laughed at the whole situation. After the initial irritation of the assignment, the visual of a still-smoking Rhodey against a pristine Wolverine was too much for Tony to _not_ find it amusing.

"Come on, Rhodey!" Tony choked out. "If they wanted to have tea with _him_ — you so would not have fit in! Too civilized!"

"Shut up, Tony."

"I'm just saying: it's not your kind of crowd," Tony said with barely restrained laughter.

The little group made their way to debrief, but all of them fell silent when they saw the big screen filled up with Viper, Bobbi, and the three missing kids — that they had no idea were in any kind of trouble. They stepped inside the room without a noise made between them. Coulson glanced at them quickly as Logan silently turned the knob to try and not give away that there were any more witnesses to what was going on.

"I'll make this short and sweet," Viper said, trailing a hand over Peter's shoulders as she spoke. All three of the boys were tied to chairs — but they looked untouched, at least.

She smirked as she gave Peter a little once over, and then she gently took his chin in her hand and tipped his face to hers with a contented little smile. "How do you feel?" she asked him.

"Um… tied up," Peter said a little shakily.

She smiled a little wider at that. "Such a lively sense of humor," she said before she shook her head lightly. "What I meant, little spider, is are you injured or in any pain?"

Peter swallowed. "Um. No."

"Wonderful," she purred. "Thank you for proving to Agent Coulson, and I'd assume Director Fury, that I kept my word." She turned to the camera, eyes glittering. "You can have your little Tahiti fighters back. I have no use for them myself. But I do have use of a few prisoners that you have locked up in your little secret base. So I am proposing a trade. Baron Heinrich Zemo, Dr. Arnim Zola, and Dr. Abraham Cornelius." She drew in a deep breath as she walked around to stand behind Peter and rest both hands on his shoulders. "You have no use for them, much like I have no use for yours." She leaned down, over Peter's shoulders, and let her voice drop. "And Mr. Parker would like very much to get out of here, wouldn't you?"

"Yeah… the gothic dungeon look isn't for me, thanks," Peter said, seemingly trying to angle himself away from her, though that was clearly hard to do.

She smirked a little wider and moved from Peter to Clint. "Do you have any questions for my guests, Agent Coulson? I don't think I need to demonstrate what I can do … but a girl does get bored waiting for the men around her to get it in gear."

"Bite me," Clint said her way, eyes narrowed, then paused. "No, wait, you would.'

"I would," she agreed before she turned her attention to Scott.

"Save the theatrics," Coulson said through his teeth before she could go any further. "You've made your demands."

"I've made _some_ of my demands," she corrected him. "I want Wolverine to deliver them. Alone. No follow-ups floating around waiting to reverse the deal. No weapons."

"You're asking us to hand you another hostage," Coulson countered.

"No, I'm telling you that I have further business — or a colleague of mine does. Make sure that he knows Seraph is ready to collect."

Logan looked up at Coulson as Viper outlined where the trade was to take place, and he nodded once, though he didn't look happy in the least.

Coulson let out a sigh and turned back to Viper. "We'll be in touch," he said.

Logan was waiting for Coulson to gather his thoughts. He knew there would be questions — and unfortunately, Logan didn't have many answers for him, even though his mind was racing. He let out a breath and put his hands on his hips, his focus on the pacing agent in front of him rather than what this trade-off would mean, ultimately.

"What exactly did she mean — what have you got going on with Seraph?" Coulson finally asked.

"Ah," Logan said, hedging for a moment. "It was an open favor. I don't know what she wants. It was part of the deal I made to get Scott squared away in the arena."

Coulson paced another few turns before he let out a breath. "She's made deals with other victors, and it hasn't been this … dramatic," he told Logan frankly.

"Which was why I went along with it," Logan admitted.

Coulson nodded at that, still looking troubled. "Out of everyone Viper could have asked for… she knows you won't be unarmed, not after what happened when Hydra nabbed the whole of Tahiti. So she'll have to have some other countermeasure in place."

"Likely," Logan agreed before he drew in a breath and nodded to himself. "I'm going to prep."

"You can't be serious," Rhodey broke in with a frown. "That woman's had it out for you for years."

"All two of em? Come on, Rhodey. You got another idea?" Logan challenged. "Cause I'm all ears."

Rhodey opened his mouth to argue but didn't get far as the still-live comm on Viper's end crackled to life with a horrible scream that brought the whole room to silence for a moment.

"Tell her I'm on the way," Logan said before he slipped out of the briefing room, without waiting for anyone else to try and come up with a half-hearted plan with no bones.

* * *

 _August 11_

 _District Twelve_

* * *

The spot that Viper had picked was familiar to Kate, since she and her friends had used it as their stomping grounds — so Logan had an increasingly agitated Hawkeye in his ear all the way down to the checkpoint.

"There's no way you can clear out all the hiding spots. We specifically liked that area _because_ it was perfect for hiding from SWORD hovercraft," she said grumpily.

"It'll be fine, Kate," Logan replied. "Don't worry about it."

"I'm just saying — you'll be totally surrounded. She'll have the high ground…"

"First time for everything," Logan replied, but when Kate only sounded more irritated, he tried to ease her through it. "Take it easy, Kate. It's a good thing I'm trained for a crowd," he said. "And … seeing as it's supposed to be a trade-off and a message …"

"Just shut up and let me worry about you," Kate grumbled. "It's my job."

"Isn't the Elf distracting you?" he asked. "Pretty sure that's _his_ job."

"He's on the comm talking to _yours_ ," Kate said.

"So there's shouting, good to know."

"I can hear it from here," Kate agreed, and he could hear the smirk in her voice.

"This shouldn't be a big deal," Logan told her. "She's being dramatic."

"Yeah, well, she has a right to be. You like to make little things into 'oh no now I've managed to somehow get an entire army after me'," Kate pointed out.

Logan let out a sigh and shook his head. "I meant _Viper_ was being dramatic, but I see your point. I'll talk to you in a little bit." He didn't wait for a response as he flipped off the comm and took the little jet in for a landing. His prisoners in trade were all mildly drugged to keep them from fighting him, and they all moved along without complaint.

The hike to the checkpoint was silent, and the closer they got, the more obvious the soldiers in the trees and rocky outcroppings became. Still, Logan kept facing forward, his captives trudging along mindlessly with him until he came to the well-shaded clearing.

When he came to a stop, he heard rifles cocking in his direction. Someone hidden in the trees ordered him to keep his hands visible, and he very carefully raised both hands, palms open, as the armed, green-clad guard stepped forward, gun trained on him. He called out for Logan to remain still, and two more men appeared and went right to searching him. When he was deemed 'clean', he was led, with his prisoners, to the exchange point. It wasn't until he was in place that Bobbi led the hostages out.

Viper had taken a disliking to Peter's smart mouth. That much was obvious to see when one side of his face was a deep purple, and his mouth still trickled blood beyond his swollen lips. He acted subdued, and Logan noticed that his hands were twitching slightly, and there was a worryingly large reddish-purple bruise forming at the crook of his elbow.

Scott had his arms wrapped tightly around his chest, bent over slightly and wincing with every breath. He sported a black eye as well, but more worrying was the fact that Logan could see through the torn fabric of Scott's shirt a circling, snake-like design, bright red and still fresh, emblazoned on the skin there.

Clint seemed barely able to recognize what was happening. There wasn't a mark on him except the lipstick stain that matched the shade Bobbi was prone to wear these days, but the archer couldn't even keep himself upright, curled in on himself and very quietly whimpering; it seemed every move was physically painful.

Logan took each of them in fully, worry etched on his features as Viper finally made her appearance. "I take it you're not too fond of my art?" Viper said with a little smile. "The hard part is making it personal for each of them."

"Didn't take you for the artistic type," Logan replied evenly, though it was clear that he was incredibly angry with her.

"It comes out on special occasions," she said, looking far too amused.

"Might be why it looks like shit then," he replied.

"Really now. Is that really something to say to your friends?" Viper asked. As she spoke, she strutted along the dirt path. When she reached out a hand to trail over Peter's cheek, he flinched at the touch.

Logan narrowed his eyes at her and tried to ignore her question. "You said they'd be unharmed."

"No, not really. I said they'd be in nearly the same condition I found them — and they nearly are."

He shook his head, looking like he'd much rather tear her to shreds than spend another moment dealing with her. "Let's just make the damn trade," Logan replied. "I brought your trio — so hand over mine."

"You did, didn't you?" she practically purred. "Such obedience."

"Very compliant," Bobbi added with a little smirk that had Logan frowning hard as he watched the two of them.

Viper had moved from Peter to Scott, leaning into him as she made a motion to some of her green-clad guards, several of which pushed Peter and Clint forward. "There you are. A deal's a deal."

"All of 'em, Viper," Logan said. "Don't hold out on me now."

Viper looked insulted for a second. "I kept my word," she said. "You have your Tahiti fighters back."

"What the hell do you call him then?" he challenged, the heat obvious in his voice as Scott did his best to pull back from Viper's touch. She smiled maliciously at his reaction as Bobbi drew Logan's attention.

"I'd call him a temporarily misplaced asset of Hydra's," Bobbi replied in a businesslike tone, ignoring Scott's muted swearing at the description. "We put the work in to revive him — and the money."

"Oh, come on," Logan almost growled out. "He's here because of the Tahiti process, and you know it."

"A deal is a deal, Logan," Viper told him. "You take what's yours, and I will take what's mine," she added, now playing with the frayed edges of Scott's shirt where the red brand showed through. Scott looked like he wanted nothing more than to deck her but for the dozens of Hydra guards that would shoot him.

"Leave the kid alone. He's got no business going with Hydra," Logan said. "Either hand him over or pick which doc you don't want breathin'."

At that, she laughed out loud. "That would be breaking our deal. Do that, and I won't let you pick which of your Tahiti fighters stops breathing next."

Logan was livid, his hands in fists at his sides. "What do you want for him?"

"Don't," Scott said, shaking his head Logan's way. "Don't play that game."

"Shut up, Scooter," Logan said sounding entirely irritated. "Bargaining chips don't get a say."

"Yes, hush now and let the adults talk," Viper purred his way with a flash to her eyes before she turned her attention back to Logan with a broad smile. "You don't seem to have any bargaining chips of your own left," she observed. "And I've already had an offer from Ronan. A hefty one, in fact." It was that threat more than anything that clearly had Scott more worried — and quiet for just a moment as it sank in how bad this was.

Logan was shaking his head so slightly, it wasn't even something he was aware he was doing. "Just spit it out," he said, sounding almost resigned to it already. "I can't give you anything if you want to play games."

Viper leaned forward, her eyes glittering. "I could be persuaded into a trade," she said softly. "No stipulations, just a simple tradeoff."

"One stipulation," he replied. "All three of them are allowed to leave safely — with no interference from you — and I'll take his place myself."

"Seems fair," Bobbi said with a small shrug.

"Don't be an idiot," Scott said, eyes narrowed Logan's way.

"Look who's talking," Logan shot back. "I'm trying to get you out of here."

"Either way, she gets one hostage — don't be stupid."

"No, this way, she gets one instead of two," Logan replied before he looked to Viper. "Seein' as Seraph isn't here to cash in — isn't that right?" Viper shrugged and waved for her men to drag Scott over to where the others were. "Deal's done, Slim. Go home."

Scott looked _livid_ as Viper made her way over to Logan — a few steps behind the two Hydra soldiers that came forward to restrain him. For some reason, though, neither Scott nor Logan was quite prepared when Viper pressed in on Logan and kissed him for what seemed like an overly long time … and a few moments after she stepped back, it was clear there was something very wrong with Logan as he began to crumple, going first to his knees, and then to the ground.

"You're free to go," Viper directed to the three teenagers before she took the comm off of Logan's belt and tossed it at Peter. "You should leave quickly before I forget what the stipulations were."

"Like hell we will," Scott muttered her way, though Peter tugged on his sleeve to get his attention and gestured to the still-curled Clint with a look that clearly said he needed _help_ getting the older boy out of there.

It still wasn't an easy decision for Scott to make, though, as he watched the Hydra soldiers dragging Logan off in Viper's wake. He let out a noise of frustration before he turned to help Peter move Clint, both of them wincing in sympathy with Clint when the motion had him gasping again — though once they were settled, Scott took the comm to radio for backup. "We need an evac, medical — and a backup team."

"Proceed to the coordinates in the comm if you're able," came Coulson's reply. "Where's Logan?"

"That's why we need the backup team," Scott said through his teeth. "Viper took him. He _went_ with her."

"What do you mean he went with her?"

"I mean he offered her a new trade when Hydra backpedaled," Scott grumbled, still clearly sore about how the whole thing had gone down.

"Are you telling me that Hydra now has one of their missing royalty, two mad scientists, _and_ Fury's secret weapon?"

"I told him he was an idiot, but for some reason, he didn't listen," Scott muttered.

"He said you were special; let's hope he was right. Get back to base if you can; we can't send medical to Twelve, or she'll blow you both up. Part of the stipulations."

"Of course it is," Scott muttered.

"Can you fly?" Coulson asked, sounding strained on the other end of the comm.

"Yes," Scott replied. "I'll get us in the air and on the way."

"Check in as soon as you're airborne," Coulson replied, leaving Scott and Peter to get Clint to the plane that Logan had left behind.


	5. Outrage

**Chapter 5: Outrage**

The outrage in the briefing room was palpable as soon as they heard from Scott what the story was.

"When are we leaving?" Kurt asked almost immediately, clearly ready to go after his best friend.

"She can't _do_ that," Kate said at the same time.

"We — meaning myself and what's left of Weapon X? Right now." Hill said as she made her way toward the door. "You're both too emotionally involved in this — and there's no way I'm going to send compromised agents into the field."

"Just means I'm going to hit her harder when I get there," Kate pointed out.

"It means you're prone to the same kind of stupid mistakes your friend just made," Hill shot back.

"I'll fly you," Rhodey offered from the doorway he still hadn't left, an obvious frown on his face.

"Great," Hill said. "I'd rather not leave another bird out in the open and waiting."

"We're coming with," Kate insisted. "I know the spot. I practically _lived_ out there and not in the district proper."

"No, you're not," Hill replied. "I'm not arguing with you."

"Every second you're arguing here is another we're not in the air, Kate," Rhodey pointed out, already moving to leave. "Sorry — we'll keep you in the loop."

Both Kate and Kurt watched as Rhodey and Hill left, and Kate spun on her heel. "Coulson!" she half-shouted at him. "Come on. Come _on_. Those are my old stomping grounds!"

"And that's my best friend," Kurt said, eyes flashing.

"Fine!" Hill shouted Kate's way. "But the _moment_ you act out of my orders, I'll put an icer in you, got it?" She turned to Kurt. "No."

"What?" Kurt stopped and looked thunderous.

"If you want to know what's going on, stick to the comms," Hill said as she marched out without further explanation or argument.

Kate paused and gave Kurt a small, apologetic smile before she zipped over to kiss his cheek. "Don't worry — I'll bring a sword and stab Viper for you," she teased before she ducked out, rushing after Hill.

"It's a long shot," Coulson said to Kurt. "Viper isn't nearly as stupid as we would like her to be."

"I thought that was what Bobbi was there for," Kurt pointed out, and when Coulson turned his way, he smirked. "I'm dating one of the Hawkeyes. Of course I know."

"Bobbi is in deep cover," Coulson said. " _Clint_ is among the injured coming back from Twelve right now — that is how deep she is in it."

Kurt let out a breath. "I know. But can't she … she can tell us where Logan is, at least, _ja_?"

"We can hope," Coulson said. "It'll depend entirely on if and when she can get away long enough to send a transmission."

"Then we'll have to hope Hill and Kate move fast," Kurt said, frowning deeply, his gaze on the comm light that had finally turned off now that Viper had what she wanted.

* * *

Up until the word had come in from Kurt that Viper had captured three kids, Skye had actually been having a good time. The mission with May had gone well, and she really felt like she was getting to stretch her wings as a field agent.

But then when they'd heard about what had happened — and the fact that Viper had asked for Logan specifically — Skye was all but bouncing in her seat with worry. That woman had it out for Logan — and had since the beginning.

"Relax," May said evenly. "There isn't anything you're going to be able to do right now."

Skye nodded to herself and let out a breath. "Yeah, I know," she said reluctantly. "Which kind of makes it worse."

"We'll find out what the whole story is when we get to Coulson," May said. "No reason to let it sound worse than it is. Let's _wait_ and get the facts."

"Can't you fly this thing any faster?"

"I'm pushing it into the red as it is," May admitted.

Skye let out all her breath and nodded, leaning back into her seat. "Yeah, okay," she muttered, but while she tried to relax — she really did — that wasn't happening. They got into the hangar just ahead of another jet, and Skye couldn't help but rush out to see who got off this one, fully expecting to see her favorite space heater shot up from the rescue operation. As usual.

And yes, there was the rush of medical — and since the other teams had all more or less checked in fine, this had to be the jet from Twelve and that whole debacle.

When she made an obvious move to head to the jet along with medical, May reached out and grabbed her arm, shaking her head lightly. "Let them do their job."

"I just want to see how bad it is," Skye argued.

"Then stay back, and you'll see when they get him out," May replied.

Skye frowned but didn't make a move, watching as the three kids Viper had taken prisoner were unloaded. She couldn't help but wince seeing all of them — Viper was seriously nasty — but selfishly, she had to be a little relieved. If it was really bad, they would have gotten Logan first.

… Where was he, anyway?

She craned her neck, trying to see into the jet, but she couldn't see anyone else. She turned to May, eyes wide for a moment as she panicked — and then got mad.

" _Where is he_?" she practically demanded.

When no one gave her any answers, Skye glared at the clearly empty jet before she broke away from May and rushed to catch up with medical. She didn't get in their way while they were doing their jobs — or at least, she tried not to. But she did push through to where Scott was, seeing as the medics had sedated Clint and clearly Peter couldn't _talk_.

She was surprised to see that Scott looked nearly as livid as she did — still. "He's still in Twelve," he told her before she could even ask the question. "Viper pulled a hat trick, and he offered himself in trade like an _idiot_."

"He _what_?" Skye actually stopped for a moment and then rushed to catch up.

"Yeah, I know. I told him not to, but you know how he gets," Scott grumbled.

"Has that _ever_ worked with him? Ever?"

"Worth a try," Scott said. "There wasn't much else I _could_ do, to be honest." He sounded even more annoyed about that, then shook his head. "Where's Agent Coulson — or who do I talk to about going back?"

"I don't know; we just got back," she admitted. "But I can tell you right now he won't let you out without going through medical."

"I'm _fine_."

"Yeah, tell that to the two doctors and three nurses hovering around you," she deadpanned before she turned toward the briefing room. "I'll stop in to see you before I go."

"I'm coming too," Scott said, already moving to go. "I need to debrief anyway — not like anyone else can."

"Woah, wait, you're not going anywhere," Claire said as she tried to physically block him from moving. "We need to take a look at that burn and make sure you're not poisoned like your archer friend over there."

"Bobbi Morse was the one who dealt with Clint; she didn't hit me," Scott insisted.

Claire pushed back on him, stopping him from moving as she glared up at him. "And you are not impressive or scary, so get your butt back in that bed right now and let me do my job."

"Look, I can already tell you: It's just ribs. I'm _fine_."

"And from where I'm standing, it looks like second degree burns as well — _at least_ ," she argued. "You're not going to shake me."

Scott let out a breath of annoyance. "Can't it wait?"

She looked at him as if he was sporting an extra head and looked around the hall with both hands out slightly. "Um. _No._ "

Scott frowned her way as she half pushed him back to sit and muttered, "I'm fine," again.

"Grab your crap and come with," Skye called out, already partway down the hall. "It's better than watching him pout."

Scott gestured wordlessly at Skye.

"Fine, but if you get any stupidly heroic ideas, I'm putting you on the ground," Claire warned.

"I'm literally just going to brief Coulson. You can wrap me while I update him," Scott said.

"You're carrying your own bandages," Claire warned before she shoved an armful at him.

This didn't seem to bother Scott in the slightest as he and Skye headed off to the briefing room — not surprised to find that Kurt was there with Coulson. they were a little surprised when it was Hill on the comms, apparently running the backup team.

"What's going on?" Coulson asked as he looked to the two newcomers. "Tell me everything."

And that was all the cue Scott needed to launch into it, giving Coulson the full rundown of how Hydra had snatched them — darts out of the dark mines — and how it seemed like Viper was _gloating_ to herself since the moment they woke up as her prisoners. He didn't skimp on the details of how the trade went down, either — and he was honestly losing his temper by that point. "They had us blindfolded through most of it, but I can backtrack the turns we made, find where they were holding us if we go back now."

"Assistant Director Hill is already on the way; she's got a guide of her own," Coulson said in one smooth breath. "And as I told Mr. Wagner not fifteen minutes ago, it's unlikely that they'll find anyone anyhow." He leaned back and let out a sigh. "She's not stupid enough to stick around once she's gotten her prize."

"What about radar? There's got to be some way we can track her down," Scott said. "Satellites… facial recognition…. Something."

"I could try to trace back the transmission she sent through our broadcast," Skye agreed. "If she's going to jack _my_ feed…"

"If you think that'll help …"

"It's better than just _sitting_ here," Skye said irritably.

Coulson gestured for her to go ahead and get started as he focused more on the feed from Hill. "Skye, see if you can hack into the cameras on the Weapon X uniforms. Maybe his is still on — or maybe you can turn it on."

"Right," she said with a determined little nod, already heading for the computers to do just that — though when she did get the feed up, all she could manage to see was the inside of a transport. Really not helpful. And the image of an incredibly smug-looking Viper hovering over Logan's camera from time to time was only making her madder, to be honest.

"Follow that as long as it works," Coulson said from over her shoulder.

Skye nodded, her eyes narrowed and her chin resting on her clasped hands as she watched the feed — though still, there was nothing helpful at all. Just a very smug Lady Hydra.

It was another little while before Kate's voice came over the comms to signal that the team was on their way back — and that there was nothing there. She sounded incredibly agitated about it — and only got more annoyed when Scott broke in with, "You might have missed it; if you sit tight, I can walk you through—"

"Shut up, Scott," Kate snapped, sharp enough that even Kurt looked surprised. "This is _my_ district. I'm a futzing _Hawkeye_. You _really_ want to tell me I _missed something_? Looking for _Logan_?"

"We weren't _in_ the district—"

"Scott, no," Kurt said, shaking his head as Kate just spluttered her indignity over the comms.

"Come on back," Coulson said evenly. "We knew it was a long shot. We've got eyes in Viper's transport for now. That's all we have."

* * *

Fury had come into the briefing room not long after Hill's team touched down, and he'd simply taken everyone that had been boots on the ground to his office to pour over every detail that they could remember, though when it was apparent that Kate was just … mad, he let her finish first so that she could go let her frustration out.

By the time he was done letting all of them express their varying stages of unrest, the last person in his office was Scott — who had been incredibly relieved when Fury _asked_ him to walk him through the pathways that Hydra had used within the mines. He'd even asked him questions to be more specific in spots, returning to several points for clarification as Scott watched — and helped him to draw out a rough map of where he'd been.

And when he was through — and thoroughly had exhausted his memory — then was when Fury called for Heather and Mac Hudson to fill them in on what they knew about Mac's missing cousin.

As soon as they stepped into Fury's office, Heather rushed over to hug Scott, obviously worried sick at what she'd known before … and relieved that he was back. She took a moment to fuss over him as well, wincing over every little bruise and brushing his hair away from his black eye — though thankfully, Claire had wrapped up his chest so even if she knew that he was tender, she didn't see the brand.

However, Mac stood there with an unreadable expression as Fury did the briefest outline possible as to what had happened with Logan. He was midway through trying to tell Mac that they were on top of things when Mac just … creamed him with a right hook that sent him to the ground. "You better go above and beyond," Mac said in what would best be described as a low growl. "Or I _will_ be back." He turned to Scott and Heather and motioned to the door, still not trusting himself not to completely lose his temper.

Heather looked downright upset and then paused. "Where's Skye?" she asked, and it was obvious from her own tone that she was restraining herself as well.

"She's trying to find Logan," Scott said. "I can show you."

She shooed him with both hands before she fell into step behind him, and it wasn't long before they got to where Skye was holed up — the feed from Logan's camera now showing a wall and _still_ nothing useful, and two different computers up as she was trying to track Viper's broadcast and anything else she could think of.

Heather knocked on the door frame as a means of announcing her presence before she almost whispered out 'hey.'

Skye nearly startled from what she was doing and turned Heather's way — and then there was practically no hesitation to rush over and throw her arms around Heather. "Who told you?" she whispered.

"Fury," Heather replied. "About thirty seconds before Mac decked him." She kept a tight hold on her for as long as she wanted it. "When you need a break, you need to come find me. I'm not going to ask you to stop doing … whatever this is."

Skye nodded but didn't seem to be about to let go of Heather anytime soon — and both Scott and Mac stepped back a bit to give them some semblance of privacy as Skye started to very quietly cry.

"Hey, didn't anyone tell you? He's too stubborn to get himself killed by that woman," Heather told her with an attempt at a tease.

Skye let out a dry chuckle. "It's not him getting killed I'm worried about," she admitted.

"Then what's the problem?" she asked.

"Everything she wants to do _before_ she tries to kill him."

Heather frowned. "You're going to need to outline it for me then, so I know what to do to this broad."

"She was after him every time they were in the Capitol together," Skye said.

"And yet he didn't go along with it at all, did he?" Heather said. "It's called 'taste'."

"Yeah, but now… I'm not saying he'd go along with her, I'm just saying she's _got_ him…" Skye took a deep, shaky breath. "I mean, you've _seen_ what she's capable of," she said, tipping her head at Scott, who almost instinctively seemed to be angling back so his chest wasn't facing them, obviously not thrilled with being the focus of the conversation.

"And you've seen how well it works out for anyone that tries to _force him_ into anything," Heather replied. "One way or another, it doesn't work out for _them_. He cleared out that entire list … short of one, anyhow."

"I know," Skye said, trying to get a better hold of herself.

"Nothing that happens — nothing — will be permanent, I'm sure. Whether that green fetished tramp likes it or not."

"He's got all of SHIELD looking for him," Scott put in. "Can't be long now."

Heather tipped her head Scott's way. "You hear that? Big bad tough guy over there shouldn't have to tell the director how it works, right?"

"I dunno… I missed Mac decking him…." Skye said with a creeping smile.

"Well that's your own fault for not being with the family when Mac went and snapped for a second."

"Oh. No. No, that's—" Skye shook her head. "You two should be with your kids and Scott and… I'm fine here. I'm just sorry I missed the show is what I meant."

Heather raised an eyebrow at her. "Sure, that's what you meant," Mac teased, though he didn't look her way — apparently keeping watch so that no one else snuck up on her while she worked. "If you don't check in with us once a day, I'll come looking."

Skye smirked at that. "Right. I'll keep you updated."

Mac finally turned to look at her. "I meant for a meal," Mac clarified.

"Take it from me — just say yes," Scott said. "Before you get talked into more than that," he added, though his tone had turned a little more affectionate by then.

Skye bit her lip, but she honestly didn't have the heart to say anything. "Right. I'll… see you guys then."

* * *

 _August 11_

 _Tahiti Medical Wing_

* * *

As soon as Clint had started to feel even a little bit better than how he'd been after leaving Twelve, he was asking for Coulson. The second the agent walked through the door, Clint was already trying to sit up and fix him with an even angrier look. "Get Bobbi _out_ of there, Phil. I'm not asking."

"If I knew where 'there' was, I'd be leading the charge, frankly," Coulson agreed. "What happened in there? The other two said they didn't see …"

Clint narrowed his eyes. "Second time in as many years a girl I liked pumped me full of that stuff, Coulson. Do I have a sign on my head? 'Please kiss and poison.'"

"You do _not_ ," Coulson assured him.

"Seems like it," Clint muttered. He took in a deep breath and shook his head. "She hates it there, Coulson. Viper's got her running torture like her own little _protege_. Stuck me full of something and sealed it with a kiss — Viper's handwriting _all_ over that, by the way — and every second she had this _look_ , Phil."

"What kind of look?" Coulson asked with a deepening frown. "Like she was ready to run?"

"Bobbi doesn't run," Clint said with affection obvious in his tone. "It's more… she hangs on until she can stop and get a breath." He fixed Coulson with a look. "She's barely hanging on, and she can't breathe. Get her _out_."

"Just waiting on her to tell us where they are," Coulson said.

"I'm on the team when it happens," Clint said.

Coulson nodded his agreement. "Unless you're in here," he clarified.

"Yeah, I'm going anyway," Clint said.

"Anything else you can tell us that might help?" Coulson asked. "Did she manage to tell you anything?"

"Just a warning," Clint said. "Viper's been planning this for well over a year, so she's not likely to make any missteps here." He let out a breath. "And, well, an apology, but that's personal, sir."

"So, you have no idea what Viper's endgame is in this?"

Clint shook his head. "It's a power play, it's been planned for a while, and the Skull approved it. That's all I got for you."

"Nothing good for us to hear," Coulson said looking irritated. "Thank you. Rest up. As far as I'm concerned, you have first crack at Viper if you see her."

"Nice to have permission, but I was gonna shoot her anyway if I got the chance. I'll even tranq Bobbi for you and drag her home myself if I see an opening."

"That might be a good way to do it," Coulson admitted. "You can probably guess she's not real great at knowing when to quit."

"Yeah, I got that." Clint let out a breath and got a bit quieter. "You know I tried to tell her to get out."

"Yes, she mentioned it."

"She won't listen to me, Coulson. Someone higher up ... if you _order_ her home, she'll listen."

"I don't know that she will," Coulson admitted. "She's one of Fury's … and it sure looks like bullheadedness is a requirement to meet that list. She seems to think it's better if she stays and warns us where she can."

Clint snorted. "Yeah. I sure know how to pick 'em."

"I'm not sure what that says about you, to be honest," Coulson said with a little smirk, "that your taste in women is the same as Fury's taste in operatives. But I'm sure it's a statement of some kind."

"Either that or I'm just plain stupid," Clint said.

"I somehow doubt that," Coulson replied.

Clint waved his hand at Coulson. "'S alright, Coulson. I know it. Just mad it's Viper screwing things up for me this time. Bobbi didn't even get the chance to get done with me."

"I'll see you in my office when you get out of here, right?" Coulson said, not really making it sound like the question it was.

"Soon as Claire clears me, you're my first stop," Clint said with a small nod. "I know you've got the whole place going after 'em."

"Those that aren't taking on Fury, yes. Yes I do."

"Who took on the big man?"

"Mac Hudson," Coulson replied. "Broke his nose."

Clint smiled crookedly. "Now, _that_ I gotta see."

Coulson gave him a little wave and headed down to see if there was any forward motion on Skye's hacking. Last he'd seen her, she was trying to find a way to triangulate where the signal from Logan's camera had died, since … it appeared to have been stationary for a while before transmission simply ended.

Of course, Skye was mostly swearing under her breath when he stopped by, cursing Tony Stark's coding, cursing the situation in general… and then just cursing.

She glanced up when she heard the door close behind him and looked suddenly very tired when she saw that it was him. "Nothing new?" she asked.

"Not really, no," he replied. "You?"

She shook her head tiredly. "Not a thing. I hate to say it, but… she's covered her tracks too well."

"We'll catch up to her soon," he said, almost an automatic response at this point.

"Yeah ... soon." Skye leaned back and scrubbed both hands over her face. "I just want to find that woman, kill her, and get Logan back — is that so much to ask?"

"I don't tend to think so, but you might want to take a number on killing her," Coulson said. "There seems to be a line forming."

"Yeah. I bet." Skye shook her head but had to smirk. "Logan won't believe me when I tell him how many people are upset about this."

"Probably not," Coulson agreed. "We're going to have to fix his outlook."

"We'll show him the line to kill Viper, for starters," Skye said, nodding thoughtfully. "You know. _After_ I get done with him."

He frowned slightly and shook his head. "Right. I'll let you know if I hear anything useful."


	6. Mr Viper

**Chapter 6: Mr. Viper**

* * *

 _August 11_

 _Undisclosed Location_

* * *

Bobbi honestly felt sick. After the fall of the Capitol, after everything that had happened, she had been sure she'd never see anything like what Viper had just done.

She almost couldn't believe it herself as she recorded her transmission, her voice shaking through most of it.

"Viper's made her claim," she said, quietly. "She… pulled in Seraph. Called in a favor…." She swallowed. "Made Logan agree to _marry_ her. Viper, I mean."

She paused, still feeling sick about the whole thing. Her own name was on the legal documents as a witness. It was all squared away. She had stood by, watched the whole thing, as Seraph and Viper were both gloating over him. She knew that Logan had been drugged. He hadn't looked happy at all ... and he hadn't entirely seemed… with it, either. Not until the ring anyhow. He'd tried to fight against that, for all the good it did.

She took a deep breath. She couldn't stay long — there were already plans to get Logan in Viper's _program_. Viper was expecting her soon, so that she could help to… to _break_ him.

Bobbi closed her eyes to steel herself for what would happen next. "I'll send updates when I can, tell you what methods she's using, give you everything I can to fight back against the programming, but… sooner would be better. For both of us."

* * *

 _August 14_

 _Tahiti Medical Wing_

* * *

"Do you want me to help restrain him?" Clara asked from the door with her arms folded over her chest. She'd been watching Claire try to work with Scott — but uncooperative wasn't even touching the description of what that boy was doing.

"I already told him I'd put him _on the ground_ ," Claire said with a serious glare Scott's way as the young man kept trying to put her off.

"Fearless, you are picking one weird time to try following in your mentor's footsteps," Clara said dryly.

"Hey." Scott turned her way — and Claire scooted around him to start undoing the old bandages while he was distracted. "There is _no_ need for insults."

"Not an insult; it's an observation," she replied. "This nice lady is trying to keep your wound from getting infected, and you're about half a whiskey bottle away from a flannel shirt and an attitude problem. That's all I'm sayin'."

"It's not the infection I'm worried about — it's the observation and everything else," Scott argued. "I'm _fine_. I could be back in surveillance right now."

"Then make it go by quicker by letting her do her job — and then you can go back to your self-imposed hobby."

"You mean my job." Scott raised an eyebrow but, to Claire's relief, stopped trying to fight her off.

"There are four other people doing the same thing," Clara said easily. "It's okay. You're not the only one that wants to see him back."

Scott fixed her with an incredibly dry look for that one.

She smirked crookedly at the expression on his face. "It's okay; Claire won't tell anyone."

"That's _not_ …" Scott let out a breath of annoyance as both Claire and Clara seemed to be smirking at each other over some shared joke. "I'm just trying to help."

"And you are, but you don't need to be on watch _all_ the time," Clara replied as she finally kicked herself out of the doorway and began to slowly make her way over. She was only halfway across the room when Claire waved her over.

"Come on; this will be a good one for you," Claire said. "And … if he's being stupid, you won't be shy about putting him on his back, right?" Clara gave Scott a little look that clearly read she would before she took the supplies from Claire and got started.

The very corner of Scott's mouth quirked up as he looked Claire's way. "That's cheating."

"Shut up; if it works, it's fair game," Claire said with an impatient wave before she stepped back a little more to let Clara do her thing, which included a finger in Scott's face as warning.

"Should have been your opening move, really," Scott said, and while the comment was directed at Claire, he was half smirking Clara's way.

"Well, it will be from now on," Claire replied before she took a few more steps back. "If you step out without that dressing put on right, I'll sedate you for the next twelve hours." She gave them both a little look and left the room — seeing as there was plenty of work for her to deal with outside of chasing Scott down.

"Seriously," Clara said, shaking her head. "It'll heal faster if you just … _listen._ "

"Thought you said that wasn't my strong suit," he tried to tease with a little shrug.

"You know you don't have to say dumb things to get me to kiss you? I'll do that anyhow."

"Hey, if I was trying for that, I'd try to act a little more like Logan — since you seem to think that's what's happening here."

She stopped and gave him a look, eyes locked onto him as she reached over and pinched his side hard.

He yelped and then shot her a look of his own. "I think you need a little more practice with the bedside manner."

"No no, that was earned," she replied. "Stop deflecting on me just because you miss him." She turned to face him again with dressings in her hand. "And don't try to tell me you don't. Because that's a bald-faced lie."

"Why on earth — it's not like we're on the same teams or even _do_ anything."

"I don't know!" she defended. "I thought you didn't even like him by the way you act most of the time … but you're way too invested in this search _not_ to care."

"Because it was _my fault_ ," Scott countered with real heat to his tone.

"How the _hell_ do you believe that crap?" she asked. "Scott …. Peter and Clint … _and_ Quill were all there too. You can't just blame yourself." She shook her head again, and when he shifted to simply get comfortable, she took it as a threat to move and forced him back into the bed flat. "Quill blames himself for leaving the three of you. Clint blames himself for setting off the trap, and frankly, Peter is the smartest out of the whole group, because he blames Hydra for being jackasses. Learn from _the Spider_ , cutie."

"It wasn't Clint's fault. None of us saw the trap," Scott said, shaking his head. "And if Quill hadn't gone to call for backup, I would have. That part — getting caught? Yeah, that's on Hydra."

"And not one part of that is your fault. So just … stop it."

"Clara, you weren't there," Scott argued, trying to sit up and getting absolutely nowhere.

She put both hands on his shoulders and pushed him back, this time with a little kiss. "So why don't you explain it to me so I understand — because you're talking total nonsense."

He blinked at her for a moment before he had to steal a kiss purely because of the position she had him in. "Come on, Clara," he said a little softer this time. "You already know what happened. If it had been anyone else but me—"

"He might have left them? Is that what you think?" she replied. "But there's more to it than that. What about the Hudsons? Do you think he could have told them he could have gotten you back but didn't?"

"No, of course not."

"And if it had been Peter, do you think he could have done the same with Mrs. Parker?"

"Clara, I don't think—"

"Or if it was Clint? Or Quill, even? They have people that care about them. He's not going to just .."

Scott let out a breath of frustration before he grabbed her by the back of the head, pulled her down, and kissed her hard until she returned it in kind, and it wasn't until much later that he stopped, either. "Stop talking nonsense, Clara," he said when the kiss broke.

"You mean _sense_ ," she replied very quietly.

"I _don't_ think Logan would have left anyone. I just think with Essex and everything that happened — it was an easier setup with me. That's what I meant."

"Still doesn't make it your fault," she reasoned.

"It's still my responsibility."

"So if it had been Peter, would it be his responsibility? Because I'm _sure_ you'd still be down in that room monitoring."

"Helping."

"More or less than you are now?"

"If you think I wouldn't put my all into something like this…" Scott shook his head.

She laughed and shook her head. "You … are doing everything in your power to try not to admit that you care. It's ridiculous."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said.

"Of course not," she said with a smile.

"I don't have a problem admitting when I care," he countered. "I care about you and Mac and Heather and the kids. And the Tahiti kids, even Quill. They're my team." He grinned at her for a moment. "Mostly you, though," he added, just to get the look that followed that statement.

She raised one eyebrow his way. "You are in denial, Mr. Summers."

"Hey, like it or not, Logan is part of the SHIELD team. He might not like me, but I've got a responsibility. Joined up and all that."

"Just shut up, you moron," she said, with a frown. "You're leaning more to 'hit' than 'kiss' right now."

"Well, I should fix that," he agreed and leaned forward to kiss her.

"I think you might still be resisting my assistance," Clara said after the kiss. "I might need to call for back-up."

He gestured openly with both hands. "Hey. If you think you can't take me on your own, you're slipping."

"Oh, I can take you _down_ on my own. I just don't have the drugs to keep you there for half a day."

"Clara. I've got new bandages, and I'm not infected."

"I can fix that," she pointed out. "The bandages anyhow. Or … I could call for Ella to just .. sit on you. Two hundred pounds of wolf …"

He shook his head at her and shrugged. "I thought you were worried about infection. Hair in the wrapping…"

"You're in a hospital," she replied with a troublemaking look.

" _I_ think you're just coming up with excuses to keep me pinned down," he countered, one eyebrow raised.

"I don't need excuses for that … I'm just trying to figure out how to … knock some sense into you," she said, drifting quieter toward the end.

He watched her for a moment before he leaned forward and covered her hand with his. "Hey. I won't fight you, alright?"

"Oh, I know you won't," she replied, a bit of a flash in her eyes. "That would be a death wish, wouldn't it now?" She stepped half a step back, though she didn't let go of his hand. "Go on if you need to do … whatever you _think_ you're doing. I'll see you in a little while."

Scott glanced at her with an entirely open look, a little taken aback at that. He paused, let out a sigh, and grabbed her other hand. "You know ... it can't hurt to take a second, refocus. Get fresh eyes on the intel when I get back," he said. "Want to take a walk with me?"

"As long as you don't speak," she replied slowly.

"Quiet stroll then," he said, still watching her face with a frown.

She let out a breath and glanced at the clock, doing a little math quickly in her head. "I have twenty minutes for you."

He nodded, still watching her expression. "Lead the way, then."

* * *

 _August 17_

 _In the Capitol_

* * *

Natalie had checked and re-checked the intelligence when it came in, frowning at her screen as she read over the files, but it was right. She'd sourced it out; everything was in order. It just didn't make any sense, since as far as she knew, Logan wasn't dead….

But she gathered up her papers anyway and kept her suspicions to herself, since the last time she'd tried to offer anything like an opinion on the intelligence she gathered for Ronan, he'd thrown something at her.

The office that had once been Thanos' was now completely refurbished — the last of the redecorating done just two days ago. Everything was in deep blues, silvers, and blacks, and since Ronan was not nearly as large as Thanos was, the golden throne had been buoyed with pillows and lavish decorations.

It looked like his dungeons, but with more fabric.

She peered inside, the files full of intelligence clutched to her chest as she did her best to look hesitant and a little nervous. He was less likely to throw things at her when she delivered news he might not like that way.

"Sir," she said softly to get his attention, as he had been scowling and staring at one of the three beams that he had insisted remain completely unchanged from Thanos' old office. "Hydra has withdrawn their bounty on the head of the Wolverine, but I haven't been able to find reports anywhere, from us, Hydra, or even SHIELD, of his death."

Ronan looked up at her with a deeply settled glare, and she saw now that he already had something in his hand — a message of some sort, delivered even before Natalie's morning reports, somehow.

"We will not be doing the same," he replied as he tossed the picture in his hand her way.

She stooped to pick it up and then very nearly dropped it when she saw the subject matter — Logan with none other than Lady Hydra. He didn't look to be injured, but somehow, _somehow,_ this was a _wedding_ picture. She looked smug, and he looked angry and somehow resigned, but there it was, along with a scrawled message to Ronan that he needn't worry about the Wolverine any longer.

"I don't… understand, sir," Natalie said, breathing the words out more than actually saying them. She didn't have to fake any of it — the confusion, the disgust, the… outright horror.

"You don't need to," he replied, sounding irate. "Lady Hydra thinks her program will force him to submit to her will. The reward for his head stands. She _will_ fail."

"And when she does, he'll fall to the Capitol," she surmised, though it was more an automatic response than anything else. Stroke his ego — that was the default at this point, and she was still staring shakily at the picture now placed at the top of the stack of intelligence.

"Find out where exactly she's hiding," he said, still looking as if the shiny toy had been stolen from under him.

"Yes, sir. I'll get resources on it right away," she agreed, and she meant it sincerely this time more than any other time he'd asked her to get intel on someone. She'd like Viper gone too, to be honest. The whole thing was still sending shivers down her spine.


	7. The Name of the Game is Assassination

**Chapter 7: The Name of the Game is Assassination**

* * *

 _August 20_

 _Fury's Office_

* * *

Fury was frustrated at the new reports. Intelligence had come in not ten minutes before Odin's people had started complaining. Someone had gone into Four in the early hours of the night previous and killed one of Four's up and coming leaders, once again leaving Odin with no clear second in command.

The photos of the scene were just streaming in. There was no way that they could see how the assassin had gotten inside Namor's home. There were no prints or physical evidence short of the simple fact that the man's neck had been broken. Namor had never seen it coming; his wine was all that had spilled on the white carpet, and nothing else was out of place.

Fury picked up his tablet when it chimed and had to let out a weary sigh when he read the message.

 _Reports from Four are a result of the brainwashing program. Viper and I were eyewitnesses. Logan no longer hesitating. This … looks bad,_ was the very terse report from Bobbi.

He shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose before he hit the call button for Coulson. He and his team needed to know what was happening and try to find a way to figure out where Viper was going to aim Logan next.

He couldn't pull Morse out now, not when she was the only source of information he had into what Hydra was planning to do with his victor. But Bobbi was right. This did look very bad.

* * *

 _August 23_

 _In the Capitol_

* * *

Ronan was getting progressively grumpier, which really wasn't making Natalie's job any easier. Apparently, the last remaining member of the royal family didn't appreciate being shown up. Hydra was making inroads into District Four with their newest little assassin — and as intelligence reports showed that SHIELD was focused more on stopping Hydra than on toppling the Capitol… Ronan's pride was _insulted_.

So, he had asked Natalie to send for an assassin for himself. No one could stand up to Logan in that regard — Natalie knew — but she found him an assassin all the same, and she sized up the so-called Silver Surfer as he sat across from her, just outside Ronan's office and waiting to be invited inside.

It was actually a smart move, as much as Natalie hated to admit it. Instead of the laser focus Ronan had on Mac and Logan for the past few months, this guy had a broad mandate. Any victor, any resurrected tribute was to be captured or killed, regardless of whether they were affiliated with Hydra or SHIELD. Even one victor or tribute death would make ripples, even if it wasn't as high-profile as the crumbling Capitol leadership been aiming lately, and Ronan knew it.

When Natalie got the signal that Ronan was ready for him, she sent the silent assassin in and let out a breath once he was through the doors. The guy didn't speak or move, and while that was fine with Natasha, for most people, that would be unsettling. So, she'd been spending the last little while nervously rearranging herself and shifting in the uncomfortable, long silence and stillness.

Natalie hadn't been invited to this meeting — though, lately, she had been allowed in to several that were far beyond her 'station' as a secretary, which was definitely a mark of how much the new president of the Capitol was coming to trust and rely on her. But she didn't _need_ to be part of this meeting, since she already knew what would be covered. Ronan had already given her the detailed orders.

So, that meant SHIELD had the detailed orders as well.

While Ronan was meeting with the Surfer, Natalie went back to her intelligence reports, still combing them for any sign of Viper or Logan or… anything. There had been the whole assassination in Four and the Hydra moves to follow it up and try to use the discord to push into Four, but… it seemed fairly quiet now, at least from that end. SHIELD was still pushing to try to rectify, well, everything that had happened thus far, so _their_ victors and fighters were easier to find. Which was not helpful to Natalie at all.

She let out a sigh and leaned back in her chair as she once again came up empty for any of Hydra's higher-ups, and she had just moved on to other concerns like the rest of Ronan's schedule for the day when the still-silent Surfer slipped out of the office wearing something like a smirk for only a second before it disappeared when the door closed.

Natalie had never actually heard the man speak, but when he paused in front of her desk, she glanced up at him, wondering briefly what he would have to _say_ after meeting with the insane child that called himself president of Marvel.

But instead, she found that the Surfer was simply, very slowly, giving her what she could only describe as a once-over. He didn't say a word, just looked her over, and by the time he turned on his heel to leave, Natalie was fidgeting under his gaze and Natasha was thinking of several different ways to kill him using what was available in that office. It was an excellent exercise to keep from doing that very thing in reality.

She glared once the door was closed behind him and didn't bother to rein it in. She knew that her position as "eyes" in the Capitol was crucial, and she knew she didn't have a good opening to run — but she was _ready_ to leave. And if that Surfer kept looking at her that way, she'd step up her timetable, consequences or no.

* * *

 _August 28_

 _District One_

* * *

Three out of the four members of the so-called Fantastic Four were still in their home district — with Reed Richards, of course, back in SHIELD's science division. Again. The guy spent more time in a lab in a base in Nine than he did his own house, and everybody knew it.

Sue was a little grumpy about it, because all four of them _had_ planned to come out in force as a show of solidarity and a gesture to some of the leaders in District One that they were still interested in taking an active role in their home district. It was meant to show that One hadn't been entirely dismissed by SHIELD — and that message was undercut by the fact that Reed couldn't be bothered to _show up_. Again.

Johnny glanced over at the look on his sister's face and grinned, nudging her with his elbow. "You're the one who married him," he said, and when that got the usual and expected very dry look, he grinned even wider. "Hey, don't sweat it. With me here? They won't even _notice_ he's gone."

"That isn't true, and you know it," she replied. "But with the three of us... maybe…."

"You mean the two of us," Johnny said, still grinning as he gestured with one hand between himself and Sue. "We're the _real_ stars, sis."

"Why do you have to do that to Ben all the time?"

"It's so, so, _so_ easy," Johnny replied easily.

She rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smirk at him as she hit him in the chest with the back of her hand. "Come on; let's go make an appearance."

That was all the invitation that Johnny needed, really, and he gave his older sister a wide grin and double thumbs up before he simply strutted out the door — only to be immediately met with the loud rapport of gunfire.

Sue saw her younger brother crumple the instant he was through the doorway. She didn't hesitate to rush forward to try and help him — panic and the need to help her little brother overshadowing everything else. She was trying to get him to respond, gently shaking him as she started to put pressure on his wound.

Another shot rang out, and Sue flinched, sure that it was for her, but as she cringed, Ben let out a little grunt and yelled at her to get under cover. "Get movin', Susie — I got the kid," he half shouted her way as he stooped to pick up Johnny and get him to cover as well, even as a few more shots rang out and Sue could see that Ben was taking them in the back, the vest he was wearing temporarily blocking both himself and Johnny from anything fatal.

She tried to look past him on her way backstage, and she thought she saw the shooter. She drew in a breath to tell Ben where the trouble was coming from just as another shot rang out. And this time, the bullet found its mark and dropped Sue in her tracks.

Now with both of the Storms down, Ben let out an obvious shout of both frustration and anger, trying to run to where Sue was with Johnny still bleeding in his arms until the shooter turned his attention to Ben next. The next bullet wasn't in the vest but through the back of Ben's head; the former victor simply dropped, with Johnny pinned underneath him in the street.

Even as the Surfer was packing up to leave, the sight of three of the Fantastic Four gunned down in the middle of District One was already causing pandemonium. By the time he hit the transport that would take him back to the palace to report his good work and collect the fee he was owed, he could hear the rioting starting up as factions loyal to the Capitol, SHIELD, Hydra — all of them were blaming each other.

And that was the scene as Coulson's team arrived. Already, fires were burning all around the area. The little SHIELD team knew the situation had already spiralled past the point that they could contain it as another explosion nearby nearly knocked them all off their feet. It wasn't a simple matter of rioting — Hydra and Capitol forces alike were rushing in to point the blame. SHIELD's job was simply to get to their downed victors if they could and assess the damage, save anyone if it was remotely possible.

Skye ducked out of the way before a rock went hurtling through a glass window behind her, and she stared at the shattered windowpane for a moment before turning back to Coulson with a look that clearly said 'let's _go_.'

The team hadn't been too far from where the Four were _supposed_ to make their appearance, but since they hadn't gotten nearly that far before they were shot down, that meant Coulson's team had a little ways to go — with Sentinels, Hydra, and everyday rioters and looters in between them in the meantime.

They were about a block away when, all at once, the building beside them burst into flames as well, and Simmons let out a little "oh!" of surprise as she jumped back to avoid getting singed.

With the buildings between them and the downed victors burning too hot to get close, the team had to spend precious time diverting around the block — so by the time they got to where the Storms and Ben were, it just… didn't look good for any of them.

The building where Sue had rushed for cover was completely engulfed in flames, and so was Sue. Even with Fitz working furiously to program his little dwarves to find the fire suppression systems and set them off, there was just no way to get her out in time. The same was true of Ben… and the team was about to give up when Fitz called out, "Wait, I'm getting life signs from Doc!"

May didn't look for more of an invitation before she rushed forward to where they could see Ben Grimm, not at all expecting to see Johnny's arm sticking out from underneath him. "I need help here!" she called out before she crouched down to roll Grimm off of Johnny.

Simmons rushed over to help, wide eyed as she took in the scene, and helped May to pull the somehow still living victor away from the crumbling, burning wreckage, setting to work almost immediately to assess the damage even as — just moments later — the whole place came down beside them, only narrowly missing May but effectively burying Ben.

"Assess in the plane — this place is coming down around our ears," May directed.

Simmons let out a sigh but nodded her agreement all the same. She helped May to gingerly arrange Johnny to carry him out. All five members of Coulson's team made a run for it through the burning wreckage, though Simmons was already in full 'doctor' mode as she had Fitz radio ahead to the base that they were going to need to prepare the medical wing for some serious surgery. "I can't believe he's still _alive_ ," she muttered as she looked over not only the bullet wound to the chest — dead center — but the bad burns everywhere.

"He won't be if we don't get him loaded up and back to base," May agreed. "Coulson ... we couldn't get the others."

Coulson frowned hard on hearing that, looking momentarily shocked, upset, and then resigned. "Get this plane in the air," he said, moving to take over for May so she could fly — since she was the better pilot. "I'll deal with Richards when we get back," he added her way in an undertone ringing with conciliation.

May simply nodded once before she rushed to the cockpit and floored it, pushing the jet hard to get back to base as fast as she could while Simmons fretted and fussed over the badly injured victor in the back of the plane.

Unfortunately, the demise of at least half of the Fantastic Four hadn't exactly been a quiet affair. At the very least, the Capitol had been tipped off as to what was going to happen, and they'd recorded as much as they could. So, the entire country knew what had happened by the time Coulson's team arrived on base — which meant Reed was already there looking downright upset. Devastated. Just staring at the jet with the worst kind of desperate hope painted all over his face.

Coulson carefully made his way over to Reed and shook his head lightly. "We did everything we could, but she was gone by the time we got there."

Reed was already shaking his head right back at Coulson. "Then let's get moving — the Tahiti equipment still works, doesn't it? It should — I invented half of it!"

Again, Coulson tried to redirect him. "We should take this to a more private setting," he said, sympathy written all over his features.

"What about Ben? Johnny? What happened to Susan?" Reed said, clearly not hearing Coulson.

"We have Johnny," Coulson said as Reed looked past him to see the medical team very gently unloading a badly burned person from the plane. "But the others ... "

Reed watched the medics for a moment with anguish on his features before he turned to Coulson. "Where is my wife?" he asked in a softer, almost pleading tone.

"We couldn't recover her," Coulson finally admitted, letting his whole posture slump, entirely giving up on trying to keep this matter more private, since Reed needed his answers _now._

Reed stared at Coulson for a moment, entirely unseeing, before he seemed to sway slightly and put a hand out to Coulson's shoulder to steady himself. The normally stoic SHIELD agent looked honestly concerned and found a spot for Reed to sit — the nearest possible place — before he stepped back to allow Reed some semblance of privacy. And Reed simply put his head in his hands right there in the middle of the hangar.

As Coulson watched over him, he glanced up at Skye. "I want you to find out who did this. Now."

Skye looked wide-eyed for only a moment, taking in the scene, before she nodded almost grimly. "I'm on it," she swore, practically running out the hangar doors to find her usual spot in the intelligence room.

When Reed had gotten a little better handle on himself, Coulson took quick stock of the situation and called for an emergency meeting in Tahiti, bringing in all of the kids from that program for a quick sit down.

When they were all gathered in the large briefing room, watching him warily — since it was incredibly unusual for him to call a group gathering — he finally started.

"Until further notice, no one in this program will be going off base. Earlier today, Susan Storm and Ben Grimm were murdered moments before they could start their public push for SHIELD. An unknown entity shot Sue, Ben, and Johnny Storm shortly before a riot broke out in One. We thought all three had been killed, but so far, Johnny has managed to survive. Ben and Sue, however..." He paused and allowed himself a moment before he continued. "We were unable to recover them."

The news sent ripples of murmurs throughout the whole group, and the awesomes in particular looked a little worried — it was clear they thought they already had an idea of who was behind this.

"We don't know who did this — yet."

"We've got to have some idea," Peter said, his eyebrows wrinkled.

"Skye is working the camera angles right now trying to figure it out for sure," Coulson said, looking more businesslike than before. "We _will_ find this person — and bring them to justice."

"Or at least the person behind the orders," Kurt said, matching Peter's look of concern with one that rang with a little more intensity.

"It's my intention to find both," Coulson clarified.

"We want to help with that," Kate pointed out. "Hard to do when you're grounding us."

"I'm grounding you until we know what we're up against," Coulson said. "You know that we can't fight a shadow. And you know Skye is the fastest person we have to isolate who the perpetrator is."

"It'd be faster if she had help," Tony piped up. "Where's she at?"

"Where she always is," Coulson said before he tipped his chin toward the door. "I'm sure she'd appreciate your help."

Tony nodded once and simply rushed out that way, with the other kids still in various stages of disbelief and worry as they thought it over.

"What about the victors?" Quill asked at last.

"I think it's pretty clear that whoever it is has no problem killing victors," Coulson said. "None of you are allowed out either. Not yet."

"Not even in an inducer?" Quill pressed.

"I know that look," Coulson said. "And not _yet._ It won't do you any good to go out blindly searching."

"I'm just saying ... if I'm still dead, nobody's gonna know…"

"And you don't know who you're going after," Coulson said. " _Wait._ "

Quill looked like he might keep arguing until Kitty elbowed him, and he glanced down her way, swallowed, and let out a sigh. "Only until Skye gets the word on this guy."

"Until you're cleared," Coulson said, lingering only for a moment on Quill. "Then just hone your skills and prepare. I have a feeling this guy is going to be a serious problem unless he's stopped quickly."


	8. Flowers for the Widow

**Chapter** **8: Flowers for the Widow**

* * *

 _August 29_

 _In the Capitol_

* * *

It wasn't hard at all to guess what Ronan's meeting with his silver-clad assassin was about, since it had been all over the news. All of the Fantastic Four except for Reed Richards were presumed dead, though from the aerial views of the burning district streets, it was doubtful that that would be confirmed without intelligence sources from SHIELD doing so.

So when Natalie saw the information come in that Ben Grimm and Susan Storm were confirmed dead and Johnny Storm was in critical condition, she was sure to pass that along to Ronan. He wanted independent confirmation on the hits before he would believe they were dead, after all. He wasn't going to make his father's mistakes and assume that SHIELD personnel were out of the running before they actually were, he insisted.

The blue-skinned president broke into an honest-to-goodness _grin_ as he read over the reports, especially concerning the fact that Sue and Ben's bodies had been completely unrecoverable — which meant the Capitol wouldn't have to kill them all over again if they had been salvageable through the Tahiti process.

"It's quite the statement," Ronan mused, still smiling and mostly talking to himself. "The Four… darlings of the people…" He trailed off as he reread the details of the operation and the intelligence reports.

Natalie hung back at the entrance to the office. She hadn't been dismissed, but he seemed to be so wrapped up in enjoying the news of how well his hired assassin had done on his first hit that she had to wonder if he even knew she was there.

Finally, he looked up from what he was reading and turned a wide smile in her direction as he almost lazily waved her off with one hand. "Go find the Surfer," he told her, and she very quickly nodded and rushed off to go find the silent assassin.

For the moment, the man was staying in the palace as an honored guest, though Natalie knew it was only a matter of how long Ronan decided the Surfer was useful before he was moved elsewhere at the least, kicked out — or outright killed if he ever brought back news that Ronan didn't like. Since his ascent to the presidency, Ronan had gone through so many generals and lieutenants because of bad news that Natalie was starting to lose track, even with as meticulous and detail-oriented as she _had_ to be.

When she found him, the Surfer was studying over the details of Two's victors; he seemed to be more or less moving down the list in district order. She recognized most of the intelligence data that was laid out over his desk — most of it had passed over her desk first as she tried to find Viper for Ronan. And if the Surfer was as good as this first hit indicated… Natalie wouldn't complain if he took out Viper for them.

She cleared her throat, and he looked up at her, the slightest of smirks passing over his expression when he saw her standing there.

"He's ready for you," she said simply, stepping out of the way so he could leave.

As usual, the Surfer didn't say a word as he moved past her, simply gliding past with nearly silent footfalls, though until he _was_ past her, he was still giving her that same uncomfortable smirk without taking his gaze from her, and Natalie made it a point to keep as much distance between herself at the assassin as possible. That wasn't even part of her cover as Natalie Rushman — she honestly didn't like the guy, and she knew exactly what the looks he kept giving her were meant to convey.

She didn't follow after the Surfer, either. Ronan had only asked her to find the Surfer, not to accompany him — and she wasn't going to spend any more time with either of them than was necessary, _especially_ not both of them together. So she went back to what she had been doing — and made sure to send Fury a little note that the Surfer was moving down the list of victors in district order.

* * *

 _September 5_

 _District Three - Yashida compound_

* * *

Viper was in a fine mood as they left the Yashida compound behind them. The meeting with Shingen had gone over swimmingly. Logan introduced Viper to the head of the clan as his wife — which, after their previous meeting, automatically gave Viper, and by association-Hydra, a bit of good standing with the powerful clan.

Of course, she had no idea what he was saying, since the entire conversation was in low, quick Japanese, but the way that Shingen's men were nodding approvingly after a short time, it was clear that Logan had done exactly as Viper had instructed. Particularly when Shingen very carefully and quietly shifted the conversation to English.

"So as not to insult our honored guests," Shingen said as Logan locked his jaw and nodded once.

From there, the conversation had quickly turned to a sales pitch more or less from Viper, and although Shingen listened carefully to all that she was proposing, he kept looking at Logan. The young man looked to be more and more just a part of the scenery, head bowed and eyes diverted.

At one point during the meeting, Shingen turned to him and asked if he truly backed up all that Viper had to say, to which Logan finally looked up and, after a moment of looking almost confused, nodded once as he said " _Iie._ "

Shingen turned his head toward Viper but didn't take his focus from Logan. It was clear to him anyhow that something was wrong in the very mixed message.

When they'd finished their tea with Yashida, Viper was still in a mood to celebrate, and she had Logan read to them the names of the places in the Japanese district as they went, tickled that he'd gained this little skill under her nose.

"It's so lovely to discover hidden talents, don't you think?" she said to Bobbi with a broad smile. "No one has been able to make a dent into the Yashida clan until now." It was obvious her gloating was getting worse the further out they got, but it was quickly shut down when a shot rang out and dropped the guard that was right next to Bobbi.

" _SHIELD_!" Viper hissed after she ordered Logan to protect her. He picked her up and made a dash for heavy cover, bullets missing them along the way and ricocheting off the stone wall that they'd darted behind. "Which one is it?" she shouted to Bobbi, who had managed to find cover of her own.

"I can't tell, but it doesn't look like SHIELD," she called back when she didn't see a sign of a blue uniform — or even a black one from Weapon X or Tahiti. Shortly after that, the gunfire died out, but neither group was ready to poke their heads out to see what was happening.

But it was definitely too quiet. Bobbi finally was the one to peek out from around the corner of the building, and then the attack came — not from the direction of the shots but on Bobbi's blind side as a silver-clad assassin simply took her to the ground. Only Bobbi's training and instincts kept her alive as she managed to grab his arm to prevent him from getting a good grip on her throat or neck.

The attacker had her at a disadvantage in size and strength, and it took her longer than she liked to admit to get her legs under him to flip the situation, pulling out of his hold to reverse it on him. He was well-trained, clearly, and had anticipated the move, and Bobbi cried out when he twisted on her arm before she simply bit his hand and got him to release her. It was enough space for her to reach her signature staves, and with her chosen weapons and without the surprise attack giving the Surfer the advantage he'd had earlier, it was a much fairer fight.

She spun both of the staves in her hand and rushed forward, surprised at how nimbly he was able to duck and dodge out of the way of her strikes. It was the first real fight she'd had in a while — since she had been spending so much time with Viper's little projects — and Bobbi felt herself honestly grinning and _enjoying_ the chance to do something she actually liked. A good fight like this was just what she needed to let out a little pent-up frustration.

The two of them all but danced around each other, neither one really able to get the advantage when Bobbi was able to keep him at bay with the reach of her staves. She saw that he had weapons, too, but he hadn't reached for any of them. If she had to, she had a few surprises of her own — Viper's ideas, like a knife coated in poison, among other things. But neither of them had reached for their deadlier toys just yet.

They likely could have kept fighting for some time, feeling out each other's styles and boundaries, as it looked like the Surfer was enjoying the chance to stretch as much as Bobbi was. But apparently, Viper wasn't quite patient enough for something like that.

When it looked like Bobbi wasn't coming out of the fight quickly enough, Viper simply sent Logan out after the silver-clad attacker while the man's back was turned. As Bobbi was pushing the assailant back, or trying to, Logan rushed up behind him and landed a hit squarely in the man's lower back — a nasty kidney punch that got him to loosen his grip on Bobbi and turn to face Logan.

Bobbi took the little break as a chance to catch her breath as the two men started up — just pounding on each other in the most brutal ways they could dream up. "Even being part of the process, I'm still in awe of that," Bobbi told Viper as she put aside her staves and slid up to the older woman, tipping her head at the fight. "The creativity. Other programs stamp it out, but he's still got it."

"What would be the point of getting rid of what we can use?" Viper asked. "We don't want him just for his followers' loyalty."

"That's what I'm saying," Bobbi said, her arms crossed as they watched the fight. "I've seen the Red Room churn out girls with _no_ mind of their own. Whitehall's process… it's much better."

"Of course it is," Viper said, waving off the comment almost lazily.

Logan and the mystery man were getting nastier in their fight, and it looked like a tough match — with both of them landing solid hits and staggering each other. But when it was clear that the Surfer had taken a hard hit, he decided he wasn't going to play around anymore.

The Surfer had fallen backward, and Logan was panting hard as he started toward the prone assassin. He waited until Logan got closer before he lunged and jammed a knife up under his ribcage. Before he could pull the knife back though, a ringing _snikt!_ Echoed the air as Logan returned the favor in kind.

"Come along now," Viper called out as the two men glared at each other — though it was clear that the surfer was in a fair lot more pain than Logan was.

"Let go of the knife," Logan growled out. "Or I'll cut your heart out right now."

Instinctively, the man did just that, and in a sign of good faith, Logan only retracted his claws rather than twisting first, though he didn't blink as they stepped back from each other. The assassin was in rough shape, though Logan was reasonably sure that he'd be fine if he got himself to help.

He watched the surfer as he backed away, and when he was sure that he wasn't going to be followed, or shot at, Logan turned and headed back to Viper and Bobbi with the knife still sticking out of him.

When he met up with the two women, Viper looked more put out that he'd managed to get hurt and entirely glossed over the fact that he'd left the Surfer with more damage than he'd inflicted on Logan. "How tiresome," she said when she approached him and took a grip on the knife. "If I didn't have more plans for you, I'd pull this out right now and let you bleed here in Yashida's domain." He kept his focus on the ground as Viper released the hilt and reached up to rest her hand on the side of his neck. "We'll just have to see what our medical team has to say — if you're worth salvaging."

With her little dismissal, he silently led the way back to their transport — the fallen Hydra soldier left behind like trash on the side of the road and setting the tone for Logan. He found a quiet corner in the plane to wait — at least until Viper beckoned for him to sit at her feet so she could leave one hand resting on the back of his neck as she and Bobbi chatted about the attempted assassination.

"Ronan has a new pet," Bobbi said. "He wasn't SHIELD, and this soon after the attack on the Four, I'm sure he's just blasting through anyone tied to the Games, victors first."

"He's just upset he's not valid anymore," Viper replied with a wave. "Sad, worthless little man."

"Was he ever valid?" Bobbi asked with the slightest smirk.

Viper chuckled and shook her head lightly. "He certainly seems to think so."

"Ego," Bobbi said with a light chuckle of her own. "Even under Thanos' rule, he was nothing compared to Thanos — or even his sisters, really."

"There was certainly good reason that Gamora was Thanos' favorite."

"Do you think we could have turned her our way if SHIELD hadn't thrown her aside the way they did?" Bobbi mused, finally looking Logan's way.

"Doubtful," she replied. "She had no interest in handing over any power."

"Shame. It would be nice to outnumber the boys around here," Bobbi said with a smirk.

"In good time," she said in a slow drawl as she started to fiddle with Logan's hair — though he jerked a bit away from her hand.

Bobbi frowned at the gesture for a moment before she shrugged and looked back up at Viper. "You know, I'd love to pay Ronan back for the insult," she suggested. "Crush him, maybe take the palace for ourselves."

"Perhaps with time," she said in a sigh, though she was glaring at Logan. "For now, we must be patient. Let him drain out his resources."

"Give him enough rope…" Bobbi let the sentence hang in the air.

"And kill him before he has the chance to figure out what to do with it," Viper said with a smirk.

"I like your version best, as usual," Bobbi had to laugh, leaning back to close her eyes and at least _look_ relaxed as they flew back to Hydra's base.

* * *

When they got back to base, Bobbi stuck close to the injured Logan as Viper led the way to the medical facilities. It took Hydra's doctors all of fifteen minutes to find exactly how severe Logan's injury was.

"No major arteries or veins were hit," the doctor said as he looked over the scans critically. "A few stitches, and he should be fine."

"No major repair?" Viper asked, one eyebrow raised.

"No. The guy who did this … it had to be a desperate jab," the doc opined. "We _could_ do a surgery, but for where he was tagged … the chances of him bleeding to death are slim."

"Wonderful," Viper said before she reached over and simply yanked the blade out, earning a surprised gasp from Logan that had Viper grinning. "Bobbi, you can practice your stitches. No numbing agent." She put her hand on Logan's wrist as a warning, and the young man simply closed his eyes and leaned his head back as the blood flowed.

"Are you sure .."

"Just do it," Viper said, waving her free hand. "It'll do you some good to practice ignoring the screams if he forgets how to behave, of course."

"It's not the screams but the squirming that makes it hard to work if he forgets himself," Bobbi said smoothly as she wiped her hands on her knees with a clinical businesslike look that she had perfected having to work with Whitehall.

* * *

 _September 10_

 _In the Capitol_

* * *

After the disastrous run-in with Viper, Bobbi, and Logan, the Surfer had temporarily put aside his plans for the two women from Two, getting himself seen to and sticking to the rifle for the next victors he went after.

He did still go in order, meticulously moving down the line. Masters, from Two, had a meeting with Stane, from Three — which fit in perfectly with the Surfer's plans. He waited until Obadiah Stane came to the door to greet his visitor before he shot both of them and packed up to leave, the injury Logan had given him only pulling slightly as he was careful not to put any strain on it.

Eventually, he did want to go after the two Hydra victors — but he would do it when they were spread out, not so clumped together that he had to deal with all three at once. After all, the payout for Viper or Logan was _substantial_ , at least twice as much as he would make with the job he had just done for either one of them.

But in the meantime, it was a job well done — two fewer victors to deal with, narrowing the list from twenty-three to nineteen. It would have been eighteen, but infuriatingly, the reports from SHIELD indicated that _somehow_ , Johnny Storm was still alive. Whether that was because SHIELD had pulled a hat trick and revived him or not was yet to be seen, and the Surfer did eventually want to find that out himself, just to see what his record was. And to see if killing him a second time would stick.

His mind was already on the next district on his list — Odin would be harder to reach, and the rewards higher, but Octavius would be an easier kill, and he was still healing… though on the other hand, he did still have unfinished business with the women from Two…

He considered the two possibilities over and over in his mind, silent as ever as he made the trip back to the Capitol, and he was well into plans for how best to find either of his quarry when he paused at the desk outside the president's office. The girl who occupied it was gone, likely on an errand of some sort. He left the white oleanders on her desk before he went in to see Ronan.

He didn't mix business with pleasure often, and she had been the one to send out the request for his services. But it was abundantly clear that she was _not_ the employer, nor was she the one running accounting — and all the same, he thought he would make an exception anyway.

The Surfer was still meeting with Ronan when Natalie arrived at her desk, and she honestly didn't know what to _do_ in reaction to the oleanders. In five months working at the palace, this had never once happened, and she would have to temper her reaction, tailor it to fit whoever had sent them… She stared at the flowers for a good long time as she considered it and almost didn't notice the Surfer leave Ronan's office until she heard the door click shut behind him and looked up to see that he was giving her an honest grin before he left. Which… she had never seen before either.

She had absolutely no frame of reference for what to do with this, especially in the palace environment, but with nothing else to fall back on, she ended up falling back on her Red Room training of all things, slightly wide eyes and parted lips and a look of pure surprise for just a moment before she covered her mouth with one hand that didn't hide a little smile entirely before she sat down at her desk and looked away, furiously refusing to meet his gaze until she heard the door close behind him, glanced up, and let out a breath.

No one — _no one_ — had ever given her flowers before. Setting aside the fact that it was the Silver Surfer — and even considering that he was an assassin — it was literally the nicest thing that had happened to her in five months. Though that wasn't saying very much. As she considered it, she almost had to shake her head at how ridiculous her undercover life had become that _this_ was the nicest thing to happen the entire time.

Not that she was flattered or anything close to it. She was horrified, a little creeped out, and already thinking of five different ways to try to keep him at arm's length while giving him just enough of a tease that she could remain close enough to give Fury a heads' up as to what the Surfer was planning next.… She was absently considering the different ways she could use this to her advantage when the door to Ronan's office opened, and she immediately got to her feet out of habit.

It honestly looked like Ronan was in a good mood after hearing that two _more_ victors were dead and gone, and in such short order. This new assassin was already making an impression, and it was clear he was happy about it, though when he turned her way, that smug look disappeared

He seemed to focus only on the flowers for a moment as his brows drew together in a scowl. "What is this?" he asked, gesturing to the white perfumed blooms. "Who put these here?"

"I — I can get rid of them," she said quickly, backed up a few steps from her desk. "I just found them here ... they were left for me…"

"Are you sure? They're poisonous," he said, glaring at her as he turned to face her. "Why do you have poisonous flowers?"

"I didn't know they were poisonous," she lied easily, allowing her face to show simple shock at the revelation. "That new assassin left them here…"

He looked more insulted for a moment as he weighed it all out. "Why?"

"I … don't know, sir," she said. "He didn't say."

He glared first at her and then at the flowers before he pointed to the offending plants. "Dispose of them."

"Yes, sir, of course," she said, nodding quickly as 'Natalie' was wont to do as she very quickly gathered them up, letting fear show plainly in her expression as she touched them; little Natalie looked suddenly wary of the poisonous flowers.

"Let me know if any other … deliveries appear," he said as he looked down his nose then turned slowly, watching her all the way as he headed back to his office.

"Yes, sir," she said quickly. "Thank you, sir. I… I had no idea… I never take food or drinks, but _flowers_ …"

He gave her a final appraising look before he just shook his head of the matter and closed the doors behind him.


	9. Did I Step on Your Moment?

**Chapter 9: "Did I Step on Your Moment?"**

* * *

 _September 13_

 _District Two_

* * *

It was well known to everyone in the district that it was asking for major trouble for anyone to bother Viper while she was in her labs below the Princess Bar in the Madripoor district of Two.

She liked to work alone, except of course for her test subjects — which tonight seemed to be a handful of unlucky losers from the boys fight club that operated nearby and some old Red Room rejects, as well as a handful of gamblers that had racked up too much debt upstairs … there was a reason she always extended their credit lines.

But tonight … she was intent on a few new formulas to try. She'd left Logan at the far end of her lab, lightly drugged so he didn't pick up too many tricks while she was working. She glanced his way for a moment while she waited for the formula to separate, and as she turned back to her workbench, someone came up behind her and wrapped an arm around her throat. Her attacker's free hand caught hers before she could draw out a dart or grab anything from the workbench, and she sputtered to get Logan's attention so he could _do his job._

She was terrified and enraged at once when she realized that he was just … _watching the show_. Logan was completely passive in observing as this person choked the life out of her. But as soon as her attacker realized that he was there, he switched tactics and stabbed her twice in the side, twisting the blade both times as Logan finally got to his feet and slowly made his way over.

The attacker didn't seem to want to engage, though he paused, wondering why he wasn't getting attacked for going after Viper like he did. But he also wasn't stupid — and before Logan could get too close, the guy took off, leaving the two of them alone in Viper's den.

Logan stopped a few feet short of where Viper was in obvious pain, gasping on the floor. "Get me to a doctor," she said in a shaky voice, her hands coated in blood.

But she was simply enraged when he tipped his head to the side ever so slightly and shook his head. "Not until you agree to a divorce."

Viper was thunderstruck — but also unable to draw enough of a breath to call for help. "You can't tell me _no_."

"I didn't," Logan replied simply as he crouched down to look her in the eyes. She looked like she was almost ready to go along with his demand when she started to slip further to the ground.

He got to his feet and simply went back to where Viper had originally stashed him for the night of horrors. But before the Lady Hydra could pass out, Strucker came in wanting to know how the new compound was working. He stopped short on seeing Viper in such a bad way and glanced for a moment to Logan, who was still unmoving, before he let out a little sneer and stooped to pick Viper up.

"Did your pet come back to bite you?" he mused almost to himself entirely as he rearranged her to carry her elsewhere to where Bobbi was, ordering his guards to secure the Lady Hydra's pet in the meantime as he barked at her little Mockingbird the second he opened the door to put her training to good use or lose her patron and mistress.

He wasn't nearly so trusting of the young victor as Viper was, either, and was sure to stay there as Bobbi did her work, making it clear to her that her own life was forfeit if Viper lost hers.

* * *

 _September 14_

 _In the Capitol_

* * *

Natalie hardly looked up when the Surfer came in, fresh from his trip to Two and looking rather pleased with himself with how the whole thing had gone down. As far as he was concerned, he'd left the Lady Hydra for dead and walked away without a scratch, so he had every reason to be pleased about it, too.

He paused in front of her desk as the smug look turned into a smirk, and even though the door to Ronan's office was open — it always was these days, presumably so he could see what was going on outside his office, ever since the incident with the flowers — he didn't seem to be in any rush to report to the president just yet.

"He's waiting for you," Natalie said, finally looking up and gesturing toward the door.

The Surfer tipped his head to the side, nodded once, but didn't move for a moment before he actually spoke as he leaned slightly forward. "Afterward ... are you free tonight?"

She wasn't sure what surprised her more — the proposition or the fact that he had actually spoken. Out loud. She'd never once heard him do that, and it was that pure shock that she allowed to show on her face even as she hear a clamor from the room beyond and startled as Ronan himself came stalking over — clearly livid.

The silver-clad assassin had hardly turned Ronan's way before the president simply ran him through, one long blade sticking out of the other side of the Surfer's chest through to his back between his shoulder blades. The clearly enraged Ronan stabbed the assassin a few more times, but it was clear from the first blow that it was fatal, and at last, the tall man slipped to the floor. Natalie had already scrambled backward away from the scene, eyes wide in terror that was only half faked.

"Follow me," Ronan said calmly before he discarded the blade with a clatter.

She was all but shaking, her eyes wide and her back to the wall, and the one and only thing that kept her from grabbing up the nearest object to defend herself was the fact that if he was going to murder her outright, he would have done it by now. Still, she did have a few fantastic thoughts about grabbing up the blade he'd left on the floor. She was still rattled by the display.

"I don't believe I've taken you through my father's collection," Ronan said without looking over his shoulder.

"No, sir," she managed to say in a very small voice.

"Then it's long overdue," he replied. "I was hoping you could come up with some inspiration by looking through the old prizes." He turned her way for a moment. "All of the winners' weapons are here, and a few other … just as pivotal items."

"I've heard rumors," she said softly.

He stepped to the side and swept one arm out slightly to indicate she should step in first, and she did, taking in the shelves of various Games objects. As he'd said, the winners' weapons were in prominent places: Logan's claws, America's brass knuckles, Bobbi's staves… But there were other weapons already catching her eye, not as highly placed, and some of them not behind glass. The bow used by both Hawkeyes was mounted on the wall... Yuriko's sword was there… Thor's hammer was on almost a pedestal… Even little things, like the matchbox that had been sent to Betsy Braddock and the knife Kurt Wagner had given Kate Bishop… the helmet the Silver Samurai had worn… the blow darts that Janet Van Dyne had dipped in tracker jacker venom. The glowing blue heart that had kept Tony Stark alive was also in a place of prominence, as was the helmet to his armor… Steve's original shield was there…

She had just paused by the display of some of the "lesser" weapons used in her own Games when she heard him step her way and turned his way to keep him in her sight — after what he'd done to the Surfer, she didn't want him sneaking up behind her — though she was surprised and horrified when the moment she turned, Ronan stepped into her and flat out _kissed_ her.

It only took her a split second to get _mad_ , and the fact that he was trying to get aggressive about it was just… _no._ With one hand, she reached for the nearest weapon — _thank God it's a room full of weapons_ — and her hand closed around the hilt of a knife that she simply didn't hesitate to plunge into his back. Which very immediately stopped the kissing, to her relief.

What it also did, on the other hand, was make Ronan incredibly _angry,_ and standing that close to her too.

"Treacherous little _witch,"_ he growled out as he tried to grab her hands.

It had, admittedly, been a good long time since Natasha had sparred with anyone, and life in the palace hadn't exactly afforded her the chance to keep up her usual regimen - but Ronan had also been stabbed, so neither of them were exactly at their peak. But that didn't mean that the fight that followed was any less vicious — even if it was quick.

Before he could call for his guards, she was quick to jam his throat with the side of her hand — crushing his trachea and making breathing difficult and shouting impossible. As he went down to his knees, he was sure to grab her to drag her along, fully intending to beat the hell out of her once she was down, but she kicked out and managed to push away from him even from the ground.

She readjusted her grip on the hilt of the knife and rushed around to his back, only to stab him in the side of the neck this time — in a little more vital area than the first few stabs had been. He tried to cover the wound, ebb the flow, but it was just too good of a hit, and too wide open on such an important artery … and in a matter of a few very short minutes, the final royal family member was dead.

Natasha stepped back from him, breathing hard and glaring down at the blue body at her feet, before she very quickly took stock of herself. It was going to be nearly impossible to get out on her own, and with Ronan's blood _on_ her, that was just going to be even harder. She reached to the pin she wore on her lapel — that was not only her image inducer but also had an emergency call button — to signal to Fury that she needed an extraction _now_ before she very quickly gathered up a few things that she would need to fight her way out if she had to. Staves, the knife she had just used (she saw now that it was Kurt's), a sword would be too obvious and bulky… but a few daggers and another knife were tucked neatly away into her outfit before she rushed out of the room.

She did what she could in the presidential bathroom attached to the office to clean up then locked Ronan's office doors behind her on her way out. It wasn't terribly unusual for him to lock his doors and refuse to see anyone with no notice, so if she played her cards right, then she might just get far enough out to make a solid run for it.

She gathered up several files as well, clutching them to her chest as she made her way down the halls at a very brisk walk. That also wasn't uncommon — little Natalie Rushman scurrying around the palace on an errand for Ronan. _And_ the files were important ones. If Natasha was going to use props for her cover, she'd make _use_ of them.

It wasn't until she had reached the tunnels underneath the palace that she heard the alarm go off, and she picked up her pace substantially.

It really wasn't ideal. Her best exit strategy would have been later in the day, under the cover of darkness, after she'd been dismissed for the day so no one would notice her absence…. And instead, here she was: in the middle of the day with the alarms blaring.

The first Nova Corps officer who caught on and tried to stop her was more than a little surprised when she grabbed the gun he put in her face and cranked his arm behind him — getting a new gun for herself in the process after she'd pistol-whipped him with it and took off at a run. The panic button in her inducer would alert Fury to her position, but she had to get out of the dampening blanket over the palace itself that kept unauthorized transmissions at a bare minimum — her own link to Fury on her computer had taken a couple days to get set up.

Of course, for as chaotic as things were in the palace as the guards scrambled to figure out what was wrong, the Nova Corps weren't _stupid_ , and they did catch on to the fact that Natasha was trying to get out. It was almost nice at first to throw down with a couple of them after five months of cowering and being prim and proper — but the closer she got to freedom, the more she got _annoyed_ at every glimpse of a yellow helmet.

As she turned a corner, someone took a hold of her arm and pulled her closer to the wall — even going so far as to keep her from hitting him by pinning her arms. "Take it easy; you need a new inducer if you're going to pull tricks like that," Fury said over her shoulder. "Lucky thing we were more or less scouting out a lead on an assassin. You know anything about that?"

It took Natasha several seconds _not_ to try and hit Fury for as amped up as she was before she nodded. "He's dead," she said low. "Ronan killed him." She took in a deep breath and shook her head at the memory.

"That's not why you hit the panic button, though," Fury said low.

"No," she replied. "Ronan's dead too."

"That … sounds like a better reason," he agreed as he handed her a new inducer. "Flip that on and we can walk out of here like we own the place. Left the engine running."

She gave him an honestly grateful look as she took it from him and fastened it onto her shirt collar, the old inducer in her pocket. Now no longer looking like Natalie Rushman, she relaxed even more and gestured for Fury to lead the way. "I can give you the details once we're in the air — but you'll want to send in teams to secure the Capitol while they're still scrambling. I don't know if they've even gotten into his office yet. I locked it down pretty tight."

"We'll tell Hill on the way," he agreed. "But I think after you debrief, I'm going to pull you from the field for a while."

She didn't even try to argue it and just nodded. "I'd appreciate it. I could use a little time … I think I've gotten a little rusty, to be honest." She gestured openly with both hands and let out a little disbelieving laugh. "I'd have lost the fight if I hadn't stabbed him first."

"Then I'm glad you stabbed him first." He kept his gaze forward as they navigated the streets of the Capitol, right past the Nova Corp that were obviously looking for someone acting suspiciously. "I'm sure we can find you a sparring partner."

"Barton," she said without hesitating — she'd obviously been thinking about it for a while.

Fury smirked. "We'll have to see if he's up to it."

"I'll whip him into shape if he's gone slack with you and SHIELD," she said with a small smirk. "But that's my first and only choice."

But when they got to the waiting plane, she barely got inside before her chosen sparring partner scooped her up in a hug and Fury stepped around them to the cockpit.

It was so unexpected that Natasha almost — _almost_ — took a swing at him before she actually relaxed and returned the hug, arms wrapped tightly around Clint's shoulders. Which shocked _him_ into pulling back slightly to look her over, frown, and then spin her around in an extended hug.

"Miss me?" he teased lightly.

"You are much better company than _anyone_ in that palace, Clint," she told him, shaking her head at him.

"So you did miss me," he said, the smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. "Knew it."

She smirked at him for a moment as she pulled off her inducer and, for the first time in months turned back into Natasha Romanoff, albeit a very tired-looking and worn Natasha Romanoff who didn't seem to mind outright leaning against Clint with her eyes closed as she tried to come down from everything that had happened.

Clint looked concerned for a moment but decided against saying anything as he wrapped an arm around her, and for a long while, she just got her feet back under her. He recognized when she was gathering her thoughts and ready to make a report, though, when she stiffened and straightened beside him and glanced toward Fury.

"I'd have given you more notice, but I didn't know I was going to assassinate the president today," she said with the ghost of a smirk.

"Considering the circumstances, I think we can overlook any undue concerns about notification."

"Yes, well." She smoothed the fabric of her shirt and shook her head to herself. "The assassin you were investigating is known as the Silver Surfer," she said, her tone more businesslike. "He was moving down the list of districts: the Four from One, then he tried to hit Viper and Bobbi but wound up stabbed instead, so he took out Masters from Two and Stane from Three. He went back for Viper, but it wasn't a confirmed kill — and Ronan killed him before he could make his report on that one at any rate."

"We should be hearing from Bobbi soon enough, so I'm sure we'll find out how that turned out," Fury said.

"Would be nice if we could get rid of several problems at once," Clint mused with a crooked sort of smile.

"That is the plan," Fury agreed. "But for now, if the Capitol is loose, we need to get Hill to bring in a substantial force to secure it."

"I had my files set so that if I ever hit the panic button, the codes would go straight to you," Natasha told Fury. "You should be able to get into the palace and everywhere else easy enough."

"Perfect," Fury said with a nod before he went to his direct link to Hill and began to fill her in — advising her to gather up as many soldiers as she needed to make it stick before the Nova Corp decided to cover the gap that Ronan left behind. "Have Skye air that spot she made with Quill. I think it's time to let the public know the rest of the story with the royals, and he should be safe from any backlash at this point."

"He'll be impossible to live with," Clint said with a smirk. "Do we call him Star King now or…?"

"You know, the Nova Corps might even follow him," Natasha mused. "They're big on rules and technicalities."

"Which is why we're airing it now," Fury replied. "And I'd advise against calling him anything other than 'Quill' unless you want him to freak out on you."

"You say that, sure, but have you met him?" Clint asked. "Does he call anyone by their names? At all? Ever? I'm just saying."

"He does more often than you think," Fury replied.

Clint just smirked and let out a cough that sounded like 'million dollar kid'.

"Yeah, that … should stop," Fury said, shaking his head.

"He can take it as well as he dishes it," Clint promised. "It's the walking on eggshells that makes him freak out. Come on, Fury, aren't you supposed to be a super spy and you can't read people?"

"He's still going to be a little sensitive about anything around the royals," Fury replied. "Otherwise, I'd say hit him with all you got." He turned to look at Clint for a moment. "Remember, he was married to one of 'em for a minute."

Clint tipped his head Fury's way. "Yeah, I remember."

"What all is in the spot?" Natasha asked, genuinely curious. "Besides the obvious 'back from the dead'."

"Most of it's obvious, some of it revolves around how he was treated, other parts the inner workings of the palace," Fury said. "But if you want to see the full effect, I'm sure we'll be able to watch it when we get back."

Natasha let out a small breath of a laugh. "I don't know that I need to see it," she admitted. "Not with how deep I was in the palace."

"Charles will be waiting for us when we land," Fury assured her. "He's been pacing for weeks."

"Over me or Bobbi?" Natasha asked. "I've been getting the reports on what's happening with Hydra too, you know."

"Yes," Fury replied. "Both of you — and Logan too."

Natasha waved her hand. "Let him worry about Bobbi and Logan. I didn't have to do nearly what Bobbi's doing — and she clearly has the better self-control. And Logan …" She shook her head. "I can't imagine having to pick up those pieces once we get him back. I _stabbed_ Ronan when he kissed me, and Logan's married to Viper." Her tone was light, but it was obvious Clint hadn't known about any of it, with the way his jaw was dropped wide open as he stared at her.

"There is a substantial amount of brainwashing that will need to be reversed," Fury said low. "But the kids don't know yet."

"I won't tell," Natasha promised as Clint continued to gape at her and she reached over to close his mouth with her index finger.

"They don't know about the wedding either," Fury said.

"That's what I meant," Natasha said. "If they don't know, there's no reason for them to be concerned until we get him back. Might even be the case that we kill her while we're at it, and then that's one problem solved without worrying them unduly."

When neither Natasha nor Fury seemed to care to go into any further discussion on the matter, though, Clint had to step in, holding up both hands in a 'time-out' gesture. "Can we — wait. Can we go back to the part where you stabbed Ronan? Because there was a crucial detail that got _skimmed over_ there, Tasha."

"What, you never heard of consent, Barton?" Fury teased. "There are very real consequences when you cross a line."

"Which there should be. Obviously. Yeah. But. I mean. Nat. _Nat_. What ... ?" He stared at her wide-eyed until she just had to shake her head at him.

"Long story short — I stabbed him. I could have done worse, but I was pressed for time and quiet, and honestly, I was just lucky we were in Thanos' collection so I could get my hands on a knife," Natasha said, trying very hard to play it off with a wave of her hand.

"Nat."

"This was after he stabbed the Silver Surfer for bringing me flowers," she said, just because he looked so gobsmacked.

" _Nat_."

"Don't get too twisted up, Clint. They were poisonous flowers."

" _Nat._ "

"He wasn't trying to kill me, apparently," she said with a little wave. "Besides, it's over. I'm here now. I'd like very much to just finish my debrief and forget it ever happened."

"Yeah, right. Yeah. I just… _Nat_." He gaped at her openly for a good long time before he just flung his arms around her and pulled her into an incredibly warm snuggle with his head resting on top of hers. And he wasn't about to let up any time soon, either, especially since she didn't try to get out of it the whole way back to the SHIELD base.

When they arrived at base, Hill's forces were already en route to the Capitol — and it was a substantial number that went, too. The walk to Fury's office was quiet — that many people had left base — and when they got there, there was a tablet on the center of his desk with the video ready to play along with a note that read, ' _On your mark, I'll air it._ '

As soon as Fury sent out the reply, Skye was already airing the spot — though for the three in Fury's office, they just watched it from what Skye had provided them.

It started off showing Peter Quill as he looked fresh from the Capitol, decked out in black and obviously in decline as he debriefed what had happened on his escape from the Royals and how Drax had died — a little tidbit that the public had no knowledge of until they heard it from the roguish victor.

Though most in Marvel knew to fear Thanos, it was generally from what he could order done. Few realized the threat the man himself offered when he was crossed, so that was a little bit of late breaking information that just helped to paint the picture of tyranny that Ronan had helped to keep going.

From there, he revealed the real details on the wedding, the 'courtship' which had more or less consisted of him being informed of how it was going to be. And then, at last, the TV spot wrapped up with a section with Quill that had been filmed in the past month or so, showing the young man vibrant and full of life again — as he publicly, on camera, dissolved the monarchy as the last living royal, urging the citizens to _choose_ their next leaders rather than wait to be told whose drum to march to.

When it was finished, Natasha turned Fury's way with one eyebrow raised. "How long have you had this ready?" she asked, her tone one of professional curiosity.

"Long enough," Fury said. "It was an eventuality, really."

"It was," she agreed. "He was running himself into the ground — Ronan, I mean. Trying to keep up with Hydra." She let out a sigh as she stood up, both hands on the table. "Well, if you don't think Xavier will mind, for as much respect as I have for him, I'd much rather sleep."

"You deserve the rest," Fury replied. "I'm sure he'll be waiting whenever you wake up."

She smirked at that and nodded once as she turned to leave, though she waited for Clint to join her. Not for the conversation — she was entirely silent as they walked side by side down the hall, and he was simply watching her out of the corner of his eye — but just to have him around.

When they did reach her room, Clint was completely ready to just wave and leave her there, but she grabbed him by the shirt sleeve and pulled him in with her as he looked suddenly both surprised and cautious.

"You're not going anywhere, Clint," she told him. "You just… stay right there and then I'll have something to wake up to in the morning that I _know_ wasn't in the Capitol."

He gave her an openly worried once-over but nodded all the same, and when she was reasonably sure that he'd do as she'd asked, she slipped off to take a very, _very_ long shower, change into some clothes, and sleep for as long as she felt like.


	10. Hydra's Strike

**Chapter 10: Hydra's Strike**

* * *

 _September 16_

 _Hydra's Main Base_

* * *

The Red Skull was pacing as soon as Viper came out of the little lab she kept in his compound with a frown on her face. She hadn't exactly recovered from her encounter with the Surfer yet, and it had him somewhat upset. "What's our next move?" she asked as she found a comfortable seat to rest and watched him pace.

He spun the slightest bit to face her, eyes flashing. "The next move _should be_ the throne, my dear," he all but hissed. He looked furious. "We need to end their leadership. I was not expecting those children to follow Fury after all he did to them."

"True," she agreed. "We could easily remedy that little situation." She'd turned her head in time to watch Bobbi lead Logan through the room — and when they weren't two steps into the room, Schmitt paused and watched them with a scowl as they passed.

As soon as they were gone again, he turned to face her, frowning. "I had warned you not to place such faith in that little pet of yours," he told her. "I've allowed you to entertain yourself with him for quite long enough, I think."

"Oh, you're not jealous, are you?" she replied lazily, unwilling to admit that he might have been right. "I'm only keeping SHIELD from using him themselves. And … testing Whitehall's boundaries, of course." She narrowed her eyes as she thought it over. "He _was_ one of Fury's favorites—"

"I will not be put in a position to simply hand him over to them. Alive or dead," he shouted, resuming his pacing a bit as he too seemed to be thinking it over. "It's too much of a risk. We should have simply disposed of him after that little stunt he pulled in Two. Bury him alive and send Fury the feed to watch him die slowly."

"Come now; there must be a better use for him," she said softly as she got to her feet and glided over into his path.

"Other than as your assassin?" He sneered. "Unlikely."

"We _could_ test the boundaries of Whitehall's work, see if he's truly fixed the issues that came up in Two," she purred. "See if we can trust him to do as he's told _further_ outside of our grasp — where temptation is strong."

"You put too much faith in him," Schmitt replied, without looking her way.

"Not at all," she replied with a wide grin. "I have faith that there is a weakness there to be exploited."

Schmitt paused in his pacing and turned to face her, a glare on his features that showed his interest level was piqued. "How so?"

She shrugged one shoulder up and let out a dramatic sigh. "It's just a thought … but if you wanted him dead anyhow, there are _limits_ to what they'll do for their program."

He smiled and took her hand to pull her closer to him. "My dear, you must tell me what wicked thing you have brewing in that pretty head of yours. Whatever it is, already it sounds like a delightful plot."

She grinned and wrapped her arms around the back of his neck, pressing herself against him. "We know that he will do as he's told. He hasn't failed yet when we've been _explicit_ in our instructions." She pressed in tighter to him until she was mere millimeters away from his lips as she spoke. "Whitehall wanted to put in another trigger... something … something that would cause him to massacre anyone within sight. All I need is for you to pick the trigger. Something that we're sure that Fury or Hill or that _irritating_ Coulson would say on seeing him doing his job." She looked up to meet his eyes for an instant before she leaned in for a kiss.

When the kiss broke, he smirked at her for a moment. "I have just the thing," he said. "Have your little Mockingbird bring your lapdog to Whitehall. I'd like to be rid of the director sooner rather than later."

"Wonderful," she purred. "They'll put him down themselves when they see what he does to their precious leaders."

He smirked at her for a moment. "Be that as it may, I want additional insurance that the job is done properly."

* * *

Bobbi had waited for Viper to finish up her impromptu meeting with the Red Skull. She'd been feeling incredibly out of sorts as far as what to do with herself now that she'd gone and _helped_ Viper and Whitehall work Logan over.

After the last session, Logan barely spoke, which was probably for Viper's benefit since … if he ever did finally speak his mind … she was sure he'd have plenty to say. Particularly since when Viper was near him — which was often enough — she was treating him like an honest to God _pet._

Viper made him stay at her side, and she seemed to relax as she ran one hand through his hair almost absently. And he simply… took it.

Which was exactly what Viper was doing when she finally called for Bobbi shortly after she'd taken her seat next to Logan. His jaw was clearly locked down tight as she insisted on screwing with him. Viper was running a hand through Logan's hair and sliding her other hand across his neck and shoulders. Bobbi could only describe the action as petting, even if it had a more malicious feeling to it.

"Bobbi, darling, we haven't had much to do since we had our little trip to Three, though the sushi was fantastic, wasn't it?" Viper said.

"Much better with him handling the locals for us," Bobbi agreed, though she was watching Logan carefully as Viper continued to treat him like an animal.

"Yes, it was our best trip there," she mused as she reached for a pen and scribbled out her instructions and very carefully handed the paper to Bobbi. "Why don't you go make sure this happens quickly. We don't want Herr Schmidt to be left waiting."

Bobbi looked at the message and nodded before Viper sent Logan off with her, still silent and looking so frustrated and confused that Bobbi was ready to grab him and run. Especially with what the latest orders were.

But she had no exit strategy _at all_ at this point for how deep she was in Hydra. And Von Strucker was watching her like a hawk. So all she _could_ do was follow Viper's orders, even if it made her sick when she caught Logan watching her strap him down to the device so she and Whitehall could make this whole experience a little bit worse for him.

Naturally, as soon as she'd gotten him halfway ready for Whitehall, Von Strucker stepped into the room as well, apparently with nothing better to do with his time than follow her around.

"Still playing babysitter for Lady Hydra's pet project, I see," he observed with a casually cruel sneer in Logan's general direction.

"Still insulting science too complex for you to understand," Bobbi replied without missing a beat.

"As I'm sure you've guessed … I simply find it hard to believe that one of the Captiol's darlings would be so forward thinking as to join Hydra so easily," he replied in a measured tone. "The fact that those in SHIELD simply do not talk about you with the same animosity that they do our dear Lady …"

Bobbi waved her hand irritably. "I could say the same of you and our Great Leader. He inspires far more fear than you, Baron."

"As well it should be," Von Strucker replied. "But at least I'm on their radar." He turned and walked to take a seat in a chair near the wall. "It's just lucky for our Lady she has someone to care for her pets while she attends to more important matters."

"A temporary assignment," Bobbi said, not bothering to hide her irritation. "Like you said: people don't believe my loyalties."

"No, they certainly don't."

"It's the blonde hair," she said with a small smirk. "And how young I am. That's why the Capitol and SHIELD underestimated me too. I hope you're not making the same mistake."

"I disagree," he replied easily as he poured himself a glass of wine from Whitehall's stash. "I can only speak for myself, of course, but for me, it's the occasional look of pity you let slip while dealing with the little beast. As if there was a reason to feel guilty."

Bobbi paused and turned to face him a little more fully before she let out a small sigh. "Fair enough," she decided at last. "I admit, I get more attached than our Lady does. I haven't been doing this as long as she has."

He smiled a bit wider. "Then I can think of no better time to take a more active role, considering how this mission should end."

"Yes, once it ends, I'm sure I'll be freed up to do just that, all things considered."

"No, my dear — you should help with this last session. Take a more prominent role in _assisting_ the good doctor." He gestured to the equipment nearby. "It should be a bit more grueling of an order than Whitehall is used to handling alone. I'm sure he can use the help this time."

"Baron," she said in a low tone, "are you in charge of this operation?"

"I am not," he admitted. "But this message comes from a bit higher up than myself."

Bobbi considered this for a moment before she smirked and shook her head. "Really, now. Whitehall does good work. There's no need to put him on the spot like that."

"If you'd like to argue with our Supreme Leader …"

"No, that's not what I meant," Bobbi said quickly.

Before there could be more argument, Whitehall came in with that usual falsely pleasant smile that he always seemed to wear when it was time to work. "So you'll be taking the lead on this one after all?" he asked, almost proudly smiling Bobbi's way.

The only sign Bobbi allowed herself that she was surprised by how it seemed everyone was already in on that decision was a single raised eyebrow before she let out a breath. "Yes, I am," she said with a little nod as she took up Whitehall's usual position. For just a moment, she met Logan's gaze as his breathing picked up and she could _see_ the unspoken plea for help. She swallowed hard and closed her eyes for a moment, sure to open them once she'd turned away from Logan. "Shall we?"

* * *

 _September 18_

 _Charles Xavier's Office_

* * *

Natasha had asked to be kept in the loop about how things were going, and she was pleasantly surprised by the fact that Maria Hill had already radioed in that the Triskellion had been retaken and that they were working on unearthing everything they could from the palace before they demolished it.

The loss of the entire royal family as well as Quill's message and SHIELD's speedy response on top of everything else ... it had come together nicely, and SHIELD had taken over the Capitol before Hydra even knew it was ripe for the taking. Which Natasha was feeling pretty smug about, if she was honest. It hadn't been entirely her doing, but she played enough of a role that she was going to go ahead and claim it as a good mark in her ledger anyone. A big, fat one.

She was still smirking to herself when she arrived at Charles' office, a mug of hot chocolate in her hands as it was finally cooling off. Fury was being exceedingly nice to her since her return and had given her the rations for an entire container of cocoa mix.

"You know, I may have been gone for a few months, but I have caught up on as much gossip as Clint's been able to cram into the past few days, and I do know you have better things to do with your time right now. When is your wife due — isn't it two weeks from now?" she asked Charles as she gently closed the door with the back of her heel.

"Somewhere around there," Charles agreed with a little smirk. "But I really did want to hear how you're doing, my dear."

"Much better," she promised him, matching his smirk. "I'm out of the Capitol — and I've got a good sparring partner. What more could I want?"

"I'd imagine a bit of rest," Charles replied. "After the frightful work conditions you were subjected to." He let a little smile slip past as he waited for her reaction.

"Well, I can't sleep all the time, or I would," she said with a smirk. "And I think Clint would appreciate it if I didn't hold him hostage in one room for that long."

"The boy lives to serve in such times," he replied.

She let an honest smile slip past and shook her head. "I just asked him to stay until my waking mind and my sleeping mind catch up to each other on where exactly I am." She leaned forward as the smile widened. "There are no Hawkeyes in the Capitol."

"And I'm sure they're pleased with that revelation as well," Charles said. "All things considered."

Natasha paused and had to nod her agreement. "All things considered," she agreed as she gently sipped the cocoa. "Neither of them are cut out for the way the Capitol was — as much as Clint says he would have liked to help me stab Ronan."

"He would have liked to stab Ronan — not a word about any of the lead up," Charles pointed out.

"He's a worrier," she said, waving her hand. "And as I keep reminding him, he _did_ get to shoot Thanos, so he can't really complain. As horrendous as Ronan was, he was _much_ easier to manipulate than Thanos was."

"At any rate, it's good to see them both well behind us."

"Now, we just focus on doing the same for Hydra," Natasha agreed. "And get Bobbi back — and Logan, of course. You'll have your work cut out for you."

"Yes, well. At least Bobbi would speak to me," Charles said.

"You were able to clear the Red Room from my mind without knowing everything. Bobbi's sent you step-by-step instructions; Logan should be… well. At least as straightforward as it's possible for him to be."

"Yes, but I'll still need him to cooperate," Charles pointed out.

"If you need a hand…:"

"I'm sure I will," he admitted. "We were supposed to have regular sessions before the Capitol ever fell, but he … is not as easy to deal with as I'd hoped. And I thought I was already prepared for worst case scenarios."

"If he's anything like me, he'll want to work with you once he realizes his mind isn't his own," she said.

"I can only hope," Charles replied.

"Well, you have me if you need me. I don't plan to leave the base anytime soon."

"Then I can only hope we can get them both back quickly."

* * *

For as well-adjusted and easy-going as Natasha was able to be while she talked with Charles, however, it was an entirely different story when she dropped her guard to sleep.

In the moments when she was only just waking up, when she was still groggy, she would forget sometimes where she was, and waking up away from her tiny living quarters, waking up to anything but an alarm or Ronan pounding on her door with some new errand … it had her panicking every time.

And every time, she would hold her breath, trying to calm down, and the intensity of her reaction would wake Clint. And every time, he'd just shift slightly beside her and pull her into a hug. It was always a shock to have him there, and most of the time, it would break her out of her panic.

Sometimes, it took a little longer.

She was half curled into herself under Clint's chin in the middle of the night when he finally had to ask, "Was it like this for you every night before?"

"What?"

"Never seen you this scared, Tasha," Clint murmured.

Natasha frowned and then let her shoulders drop, hiding her face in his shirt to keep him from seeing that she _was_ , in fact, worked up. "I'm fine."

"Yeah, that's a lie."

Natasha frowned a little deeper before she shook her head lightly. "What do you want me to say, Clint? It was the hardest assignment I've had. I'm glad to be done. I just want to put it behind me, alright?"

For a long moment, Clint was quiet, and Natasha wasn't sure if she'd gotten through to him… until he let out a long breath and nodded. "Alright," he said. "But Tasha… you know if you need anything…"

"I know," she said softly, then simply closed her eyes and breathed deep, pushing the memories aside for the moment in favor of the smell of his shirt.

* * *

 _September 20_

 _District Twelve_

* * *

Viper had been in a good mood for the past day or so. Though she wouldn't admit it, it was a relief to have sent Logan away on a solo endeavor for his test. But after she'd settled into her office, she finally had to roll her eyes at the message that had managed to make its way to her desk.

An old contact of Silver Fox claimed he had information on SHIELD's base. Not that she needed it — or … more appropriately, not that she would need it soon. But instead of humoring the fool, she'd elected instead to send Bobbi out in her place to handle the situation.

"I do not care to keep any of Fox's contacts," Viper had told the bubbly blonde. "Find out whatever he thinks is so valuable, then do with him as you wish."

For Bobbi, it was just the excuse she needed to get away from Hydra's base for a while. Even with the contingent of Hydra soldiers that went with _anyone_ as high up in the organization as she was, it was the first time in a while that she had the chance to get out from under Hydra's leaders and have a little _breathing_ room.

And, to be honest, it was the perfect excuse to transmit to Fury. Her last transmission had been a while ago, but she _knew_ that Von Strucker was monitoring her closely. If she tried to contact Fury now, she would just be driving the nails into her own coffin.

But this meeting was just the excuse she needed, and she informed the soldiers that she would be meeting with the contact _alone_.

She already planned to at the very least incapacitate whoever it was, see just how valuable he was and maybe pass him along to SHIELD — but when she recognized Kate Bishop's father striding through the doors like he owned the whole district, she couldn't help but raise both eyebrows at him.

"And what can _you_ offer Hydra?" she asked, not even faking the incredulity in her voice as Derek Bishop looked almost offended.

"I already told you: information. I've been living in SHIELD's base for months now. I could take you there myself."

She gave him a clear once-over and shook her head. "You'll have to do better than that," she said, fishing for more so she could tell Fury how bad the leak had been after she killed him. And she would, too. For as close as he was to Tahiti… even if Coulson's instincts had been right on not letting him in…. He had to at least know what he'd heard from his daughters.

He leaned forward with a spark of excitement in his expression. "How much would information on the Tahiti program be worth?" he asked.

"You do know who you're talking to, right? I was _in_ SHIELD's highest confidences for some time. What can you possibly tell Hydra that I haven't already?"

"I know every name," Derek said, though he seemed put out as he realized that Bobbi, out of all the Hydra leaders he could have met with, was the one who could best call his bluff. "I know where the entrance to the Tahiti Wing is."

She raised an eyebrow at that. "You mean you haven't been past the entrance?"

"I'm not interested in dying to get to the other side."

Bobbi narrowed her eyes at him as she weighed out her options. "And you know all this how? Your daughter?"

He nodded, some of the earlier spark coming back.

"But you haven't been allowed past the entrance. So all you have for me is hearsay."

Derek looked flustered as he stammered at her, but she'd already heard enough. With an almost lazy flick of her wrist, she tossed the knife that Viper had coated for her in blowfish toxin, and as Derek hit the floor in obvious pain, she stepped around him and pulled the comm from her boot to call Fury. The Hydra soldiers outside would have heard Derek's muffled cry when the knife hit, so they'd give her some space. She was, after all, Viper's protege.

* * *

 _September 20_

 _Fury's Office_

* * *

 _Repeat… this is an urgent message…_ Bobbi's voice crackled over the comm that was Fury's direct line to her.

"Go ahead," Fury answered, not expecting to catch her like this.

 _Logan's headed your way_ — _should be there within 48 hours. He has orders to kill you_ — _and Whitehall worked in a trigger phrase to get him to massacre anyone around him to boot. It's supposed to be a crippling blow. Not that it will be._ He could almost hear her smirking. _The phrase is 'stand down.'_

"Anything else we need to know?" Fury asked.

 _Well, if you could send my condolences to Kate, I did just murder her father. Turns out he was a Hydra informant. He was trying to sell me information on the Tahiti program and the location of your base._

"Roger that," Fury replied. "You ready to come out? We just got Romanoff back after she killed Ronan."

 _Which I appreciate. But …_ There was a pause for a long time on the other end of the comm. _If Logan manages to slip past you, I'm still his best shot at escape. And you don't have anyone else this deep in Hydra. But if you could maybe step up the radio chatter on my name… Strucker's suspicious._

"One bounty coming up," Fury said easily. "Try not to get caught."

 _Try not to catch me. Viper might come after me._

"We've got a whole line of people wanting a shot at her right now," Fury said. "Even without knowing the whole story. Stay frosty, Mockingbird."


	11. Trojan Wolverine

**Chapter 11: Trojan Wolverine**

* * *

 _September 22_

 _SHIELD BASE TWO_

* * *

Logan felt fuzzy as he headed off on the mission Viper had sent him on. He always felt fuzzy lately, and it always seemed worse after he'd spent any amount of time with Viper or Bobbi. He couldn't remember why everything felt … wrong, but it did. He made a move to rub at the spot on his upper arm but paused, almost belatedly remembering how much it hurt to do so.

All he knew for sure right now though was that the former Head Gamemaker had been marked to die, and it was his job to take care of it.

Logan was quiet and kept out of sight on his trek to the secret SHIELD base. It took him several days to get there, and as he finally started toward the hidden entrance, he found himself stopping for a moment and frowning hard. He couldn't remember Viper ever telling him how to get there, and he had no memory of a briefing that would have tipped him off to the location of the base, let alone the hidden entrance that he was so sure no one knew about.

He watched the guard detail for a while, keeping track of how long it took for the men to get to a turning point, though he couldn't explain even to himself how he knew that it took the one headed west seven and a half minutes to return, or that the one that was headed east took five, and that they only both turned away from the door all of four times in a shift for all of one and a half minutes. Or that … they were about eighteen minutes and thirty seven seconds to that little ninety second window.

As soon as the moment hit, he darted forward and jimmied the door open quickly, just to slip inside and rush to the left then the right to a hidden panel that would lead him down a maze of halls that would eventually end in Fury's office.

Once he was into that maze of dark, hidden halls, he crept through them slowly. The SHIELD security was tighter inside than he'd been led to believe he'd find. Tighter patrols — two men at once rather than lone guards. More visible cameras that were clearly working and not just for show. But he still evaded their watchful eye as he crept around or disabled one security measure after another.

Finally, Logan made his way into the secret entrance to the director's office that Fury had used so often, though he wasn't sure how he knew it was there, feeling more and more woozy the further he got. He couldn't remember what it was that had happened after Bobbi gave him that shot or even who was there. But … he paused before he pushed the secret panel on the wall open. His hand was outstretched, ready to press the nearly invisible button — and all at once, he took in a breath and stepped back nearly to the opposite wall.

Something wasn't right. He knew he was supposed to kill Fury, but there was someone else that he actually _wanted_ to kill. He closed his eyes shut tightly and nearly slid to the floor trying to clear his head enough to get the job done. Viper was waiting on him. He had to finish this. But … before he did as she asked … he took a few steps further down the hall, shaking his head to himself.

Not … _that_ door. He had to go a few more down. Through the halls that no one but Fury knew about. Someone else needed a visit before he killed Fury. He just … couldn't remember her name.

* * *

As it turned out, Bobbi's message had given Fury, Hill, and Coulson plenty of time to prepare. The whole of Team Awesome had staged themselves in Fury's office — waiting for their missing member to show, ready to 'recover him'.

That was how Coulson had phrased it. A recovery. As if they were picking up any other physical asset that had accidentally fallen into enemy control.

They knew it would be any moment. They'd seen the silent alarm go off that Fury had Skye put in the hidden corridor, so it was simply a matter of waiting him out. Any moment now, he'd open the secret entrance to Fury's office — and they'd have to quickly subdue him before someone was hurt.

Fury himself was there to act as live bait, and after the proper amount of time had passed, he paused and checked over the new cameras in the secret entrance before he signalled to the kids to show them as Logan made his silent, sneaky approach.

Fury flipped on the device that fuzzed out communications, then reached for one of Fitzsimmon's night-night guns as Coulson and Hill stood beside him, their own weapons at the ready. Kurt, Kate, and Peter all looked a bit nervous, sharing glances at each other, but more than ready to do whatever it took to _get him back._

So for as tense as they were in that moment, it should have been no surprise to anyone when they simply didn't see Logan on the cameras. "Of course he's going to be difficult," Hill whispered to Fury, who pursed his lips and waited. They all jumped, though, when someone screamed a few doors down and an alarm was raised.

All entrances were suddenly blocked, and guards were pouring out in high numbers, blocking even Fury from stepping out of his office — which was fine for the time being, because Fury was still expecting Logan to step out from behind his desk.

"I'm going to check it out," Coulson said, forcing his way past the SHIELD agents lined up outside of Fury's door. The halls were crammed; It looked like half the base was there, gathered in the hall, looking spooked at what they'd found.

Coulson pushed his way through, irritated to find that they were heavily clumped up at Abigail Brand's office, and when Coulson pushed his way inside, they gave him leeway as one of Fury's top agents. But once he got inside, it was clear why no one was trying too hard to keep him from getting in.

Abigail Brand was dead on the floor — three long, evenly-spaced slash marks across her chest. Coulson could clearly see that the killer had watched her bleed out, if the still wet stain left by dripping claws that had pooled around a footprint was any indication.

"Brand is dead, sir," Coulson said over his comm as he took in the scene. "And I think you have a visitor." The bloodied smear on the hidden panel was all the evidence that Coulson needed to see that Logan was working … though he almost seemed to be trying to get caught.

* * *

Logan was again in the hall behind Fury's office, hands coated in blood … though there was no reason for it. That kill could have been fast and painless … yet ... he didn't even try to make it go easy for the woman.

He frowned at himself, torn. He _knew_ … he just _knew_ that when Viper caught wind of it, he was going to pay. Something bad was going to happen … unless he could kill the man that he'd been sent for too.

He let out a slow breath and shook his arms out, cracking his neck before he nodded to himself. As far as he was concerned, Fury was a dead man.

Logan barely pushed the door open when he was blindsided — literally — as a wad of something sticky splattered over his eyes. He backtracked into the hidden hall, but before he could slip out, he was grabbed and yanked in. Blinded, he began swinging, heading toward the sounds of people moving as he tried to remove the webbing from his face.

"Logan, please, it's us!" Kurt called out.

"I mean, you can't _see_ us… but it's us! Team Awesome!" Peter joined in.

"Please, calm down. We're not going to hurt you," Kurt said as he sidestepped Logan's wild swings.

"We _missed_ you," Kate added, almost pleadingly.

Unfortunately, the ruckus so close to Brand's discovered murder drew the wrong kinds of attention, and several SHIELD agents that had rushed to the call for Brand found themselves trying to play the hero at Fury's office.

All of those that had been invited to subdue Logan purposefully had been told what phrase to avoid, but … as Logan pulled the webbing from his eyes, no less than three men shouted on seeing his claws. " _Stand down!_ "

Just like that, Logan's eyes seemed to glaze over for a moment. He closed his eyes and took a deep, steadying breath before he started to attack in a full rage. Several of the gung-ho guards stepped up — only to find themselves skewered as Logan was viciously lashing out.

Kurt jumped aside, barely missing the end of Logan's claws as he slashed at him. The sword was of no real use against Logan's adamantium, but Kurt was a bit quicker than Logan, so even this close … he managed to keep out of his reach as he seemed to disappear and reappear around him.

As Logan turned to _stab_ Peter, Kurt flipped over his head and then darted forward to _leap onto Logan's back_. Logan spun to try and grab Kurt, but the Elf was just too quick, and before Logan could grab him, Kurt had piggybacked him — his legs around Logan's waist and his arms pulling Logan's backward at the elbows. He was even careful to avoid it when Logan threw his head backward.

It was a risky move — but one that paid off. Try as he might, Logan couldn't throw Kurt when he was pulling on him and attached like that.

It was pretty obvious that the adults in the room were equal parts impressed and irritated as the fight went on. With Kurt in the middle right there with Logan, they couldn't ice him — and the guards knew better than to shoot at a Tahiti operative.

But when Logan began to get his bearings a little better and looked like he was searching for a clear wall to bash Kurt with, Kate quickly stuck his feet to the ground with a putty arrow, and he very nearly lost his balance.

"You don't have to do this, _mein Freund_ ," Kurt said over Logan's shoulder as Logan tried desperately to get him off his back. "We want to help you."

Logan dipped his chin to his chest and started to pull his arms forward in an attempt to draw his hands closer together. He was arching his back, trying everything he could to make it harder for Kurt to hang on when Peter caught Kurt's attention. On Kurt's silent count, he let go of Logan's arms, and Peter fired off a webshooter to web up Logan's hands to his chest.

But no one expected Logan to glance up in obvious surprise and, after taking quick stock of his situation, let out a roar and simply send his claws through his own chest in a desperate bid to free himself.

Everyone in the room let out a cry — though as Logan crumpled in pain, everyone else rushed forward.

Before his hands were cut loose of the webbing, a medic rushed in to sedate him, and Logan's reaction … was incredibly not like himself. He flinched away from the woman _violently._ He was hyperventilating and struggling hard to keep away from the needle and the people holding him down until the sedation took over.

From there, it was a mad rush to treat his injuries and restrain him. It took them a moment after they subdued him to break him loose of the webbing and assess the situation — but the injury wasn't immediately life threatening.

"Wait!" Fitz called out, trying to push past the guards at the door. "You can't just tie him down, it won't _work_." When they didn't want to let him through, he got angry and shouted out for them to " _move!"_ before he forced his way into the office where the medics were trying to secure Logan to a backboard and one of them was working to put an IV into his hand.

That ended quickly, though, when Fitz pushed that medic back, muttering under his breath about delusionally optimistic medical personnel as he attached his magnetic cuffs to Logan's wrists. "He'll cut you to ribbons if you don't keep him from using his claws," Fitz scolded. "Is that what you want? To be _julienned_?" He still had his eyes on Logan as he reached into his front pocket and produced a pump sprayer that dissolved the rest of the webbing stuck to his chest as the medics decided it was safe to work around Fitz.

The other members of Team Awesome kept a respectable distance, their gazes on Logan as it was clear they were incredibly worried about their friend, but they also weren't going to get between an agitated Fitz, several medics, and Logan.

"We can get him back, right?" Kate asked quietly as they watched the medics rush off with Logan.

"Of course we will," Kurt said as he laced his fingers through hers.

* * *

Once Logan was in the medical bay — isolated from everyone else — the doctors cut off whatever clothes were in their way to assessing him, and not one of them was happy to see the massive amount of bruising and badly patched up cuts he was sporting.

"He's lost a _lot_ of weight," Claire commented as she and Simmons started cleaning Logan up.

"We should re-stitch these," Simmons said with a frown. "Most of them look infected. Particularly that one on his arm." She tipped her head to the side and took a closer look at the angry-looking wound. She-double checked that he was properly out before she took a scalpel to the injury and let out a little 'oh!' when she saw the slow-release mechanism. "We'll want to test this. See what exactly it was they drugged him with."

She carefully removed the device and shook her head when she saw that it had plenty of drugs left to dispense.

Claire frowned over Simmons' shoulder for a moment. "We'd better scan him head to toe," she muttered. "Who knows what else they left in him."

Simmons nodded and stepped back to pull her gloves off as the two of them took him to the machinery. It wasn't long before they got their answers either. "That … should not be there," Simmons said as she narrowed her eyes at the readouts.

Claire let out a breath as she saw the shadow on the scans that meant something had been placed in his cheekbone. "I don't know that we can do that here," she admitted. "It's small enough it'll need precision work."

"Can you tell what it is?" Simmons asked, her head tipped to the side. "Because it _almost_ looks like a micro tracker."

"You could ask your boyfriend for a second opinion," Claire couldn't help but say with a smirk.

Simmons blushed deeply but drew herself up as she took the tablet and held it closely to her chest. "I think I just might," she replied as properly as she could before she started to head out. "I take it you can handle the re-stitching alone then?"

Claire grinned wider at her friend. "Go get him, girl," she teased. "I've got things here."

* * *

Bobbi had just returned to base and had started to make her way to find Viper and report on the meeting with Derek Bishop — but Von Strucker found her first.

"I'm surprised you returned, to be honest," he said as he looked down his nose at her.

"You thought I was going to _stay_ in Twelve?" she asked haughtily. "And do _what_?"

"I thought you'd go elsewhere, perhaps run back to your friends in SHIELD," he replied, no longer trying to mask his suspicions.

She glared at him outright. "I don't have any friends in SHIELD, and I _don't_ like having to repeat myself, Baron."

"Wonderful," Von Strucker said with a cruel smile growing. "Then you'll enjoy our show. It should be starting up any moment now."

"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

He gestured for her to lead the way, sweeping his arm out and inclining his head her way ever so slightly. "Yes, we were sure to tag Viper's little pet before we allowed him to return to Fury."

She didn't bother to pretend she wasn't surprised. "No one told _me_."

"Of course not," he said with a little laugh. "You didn't need to know."

"You put me in charge of that last session. I could have _used_ that!" she argued.

"Yes, I'm sure you could have," he said with a consoling look. "But it was the Red Skull's order. A bit of insurance to be positive that the target — _and the boy_ — were dead by day's end."

She let her annoyance show plainly on her face. "I put all that work into patching him up — I could have been spending my time in better ways!"

"Well, for now, you may spend it watching SHIELD burn," he said as they reached the room where Viper and the Skull were watching several feeds on large screens. All of them showed one vantage point or another … several were inside bombers with their cameras trained down through the open bomb doors. "It should be a good show."

"No doubt," she said, quickly turning her expression of surprise into a smile as she slid in to 'watch the show.'

* * *

Kamala and Miles had just finished a really good training session with Matt in the Danger Room and were just headed down the hall when they heard the rapport of gunfire, as well as shouting. And before Kamala realized what was happening, Miles had her by the hand and was pulling her in the opposite direction of the sounds.

"What's going on?" she asked despite herself.

"No idea," Miles replied as he kept a tight hold on her hand, and they very nearly crashed directly into a pair of green-clad Hydra soldiers.

Kamala hardly thought before she reacted, putting into practice the move that Matt had been teaching her only literal minutes before as she kicked out the nearest soldier's knees, and Miles beside her took a swing. The soldiers both stumbled, but they were armed, and the two of them were not.

"Split!" Miles shouted a second before the Hydra soldiers raised their guns to shoot, and they both split apart, trying to find a way to make themselves less of a target. Kamala gasped as a bullet tore through the fabric of her shirt, but it was only glancing, even though it _hurt_.

Miles sprang forward, and Kamala recognized instantly the move that Mac had taught them yesterday as he spun in to disarm the first Hydra soldier, and she followed suit. These guys weren't trained Sentinels, either, so they were actually easier to disarm, and in a second, Miles and Kamala had knocked them both out with their own rifles.

They both spun at the sound of footsteps behind them and then instantly relaxed when they saw that it was their trainer, Matt, who held up both hands when they both shouted his name, relieved.

He was breathing heavily and looked like someone had hit him hard in the side, the way he was favoring it, but he had a grin on his face. "Good to hear you're okay, but we need to keep moving," he said, ushering them forward. "Let's get you somewhere safe."

* * *

The first alarm bells went off at the same time the first bombs dropped — and at the same time the radios went dead. May grabbed both of her sidearms and pushed her way out into the hall, headed for where she knew at least _some_ of her victors had last been, and the second she hit the hall, it was clear that Hydra had already infiltrated deep into their defenses.

The alarms should have gone off long before they even got as close as the hangar, but now there was a sea of green storming her base, and she wasn't going to let them think they could run the place.

She shot down the first four Hydra soldiers before they realized she was there — benefits of an office at the far end of a hallway — and pushed her way forward, laying down nonstop fire even as she took several shots to the chest. But what Hydra didn't realize was that she had been wearing a vest underneath her shirt since Bobbi's message came through — and what's more, they were between her and Skye's office.

When she ran out, she grabbed a rifle from the nearest downed Hydra soldier and kept going until she got further down the hall to find a couple of the victors in Tahiti doing their part to keep the place safe. When Rhodey spotted her, he moved to help her with a concerned expression, and Quill covered them as May waved off Rhodey's concern — apparently, she was bleeding, but she hadn't felt it yet, and she had other concerns.

Although both offered to stay with her, she ordered them both out and then slid into the common area nearby, taking a few seconds to take stock of herself before she took a deep breath, reloaded, and stepped back out into the hall.

May turned the corner between waves of Hydra soldiers only to find that Skye was sporting a backpack and fighting hard — both hand to hand and using the bracers that Tony Stark had made her. It was a mark of how powerful of a weapon they were, considering she didn't need to be holding on to someone as she'd done when they'd raided the Capitol.

When Skye fired off her gauntlets, May could even see the air rippling outward from her palm before whoever she was facing was blasted off of their feet — along with anything between them.

She quickly made her way to Skye's side — covering her back as the soldiers tried to close ranks around them. "You don't seem to be hurting too badly," May said, then reached up to deflect an attack by a pair of men — kicking one back at the hip and then throwing an elbow into the throat of the other.

"Not yet," Skye replied with a bit of steel in her tone. "I'm not letting these creeps win. And they're _not_ getting my data." Skye accentuated her standing by pushing one soldier back with her gauntlets — directly into several more that were rushing in behind him.

With her teeth gritted together, she reached over and rested both hands on the wall and fired off her gauntlets. The floors began to quake, and debris fell from the ceiling shortly before the entire section ahead of Skye collapsed on top of the soldiers. "See? Not having their crap today."

May lowered her fists slightly and tipped her head to the side for a moment as she surveyed the damage. "Not bad, I suppose," May said. "Think you can do that to a bigger group of them?"

Skye smirked crookedly. "You have a spot in mind?"

The two of them shared a look, then matched expressions before May led Skye off to where Hydra had started their assault on Tahiti — with May outlining her plan for Skye to collapse a much larger section of the Tahiti wing on top of the Hydra invaders.

* * *

Tony ran both hands through his hair as he let out a groan of frustration. He'd assumed that his perimeter alerts would have tipped him, but he hadn't gotten even the slightest blip until right before the soldiers blew into the base.

He had been working up defenses for something like this, after Hydra had infiltrated their last base, and at least a few of them were up and running by now. He'd activated the override on the alarms systems, so at least those were going now, and his workshop was nice and secure, so he and Gwen were locked in but safe. She had been working on some Spider-related gear but was now busy beside him working to restore communications even as he laid out the rest of his traps.

There was only so much he could do when Hydra apparently knew where his workshop was, and if the interference and the occasional blackouts were any indication, they were doing their level best to either break in or make sure he was buried in there. But they underestimated his designs. That door wasn't coming down anytime soon, though apparently, the wiring around the workshop needed some reinforcing.

Still, he had managed to do the most important thing, which was to lock down medical as tight as he'd locked down his workshop. He knew that's where the awesomes would be — and Logan — and possibly everyone else who was, for some reason, so overly concerned about the guy.

But he was _not_ about to let any of his teammates get taken when they couldn't fight back, and he was also _not_ about to let the bad guys anywhere near medical equipment, either. The rooms were secure, and the doctors had the override codes if they needed to get in or out, but Tony kept half an eye out anyway.

As the power flickered again, Tony swore under his breath as he had to restart his command sequence to lock down the big guns. Fingerprint recognition — his own design. Of course, he had been hoping to add in a few more fingerprints to the records before he had to use it, in case the usual sharpshooters were down. He had the victors' on file, though, and that would have to do.

He also wanted to lock down the training room, because he could see on his feed that Carol was doing her best to keep the younger kids safe in one of the back rooms, but that was an awful lot of green for one training room. Luke and America had been sparring, full-energy, trying to take each other down, just before the raid, and so they already looked tired as they tried to help Carol, and even Kitty had taken down a few Hydra soldiers that got too close with surprising ferocity. But still... The only reason those kids were still upright was that they were in the training room, and they had access to plenty of weapons. The kids scattered elsewhere didn't, and Tony was still working to get a fix on their location.

He let out another frustrated growl as his feed on the Danger Room dropped, too, and Gwen shot him a sympathetic look before she got back to her own job, her mouth pressed into a thin line.

* * *

A few of the kids who had been in medical had actually rushed out when the alarms went off before Tony locked the place down — though Peter wasn't entirely sure what Johnny thought he was going to do to help so fresh off of his ordeal in One. Still, he wasn't going to complain when he saw how many people were swarming the training area with green.

Both America and Luke were down and unconscious by the time they even met up with Steve in the hallway on the way to the training room — but Johnny had a few tricks up his sleeve that he had been toying with while he was supposed to be resting. They were wonderfully flashy grenades, and while Peter was usually a little wary of things that go _boom_ , with as many Hydra soldiers as there were, he was going to run with it.

"How'd these guys even get in?" Johnny asked as he prepared another small grenade.

"I dunno, intruder window?" Peter offered, and Johnny laughed outright.

"Well, let's show them what happens when they come to _our_ house," Johnny agreed, handing the grenade to Peter. "Put 'er right there," he said, pointing, as he readied another, and Peter nodded, wound up the pitch, and let it go

* * *

Coulson's immediate concern when the sirens went off was the state of the kids in his care. He was halfway down the halls to the main areas when he nearly collided with several green-clad soldiers, and he had to duck back around the corner to avoid being shot point-blank before he returned fire. When the last of the small Hydra group was down, he rushed forward, his brow furrowed.

They should _not_ have been able to get this far inside their base before the sirens went off. They shouldn't have been able to get inside at _all_ , actually.

He frowned as he considered the events of the past 48 hours or so. Bobbi had warned them about Logan — but this?

He made his way toward the main areas and was very neatly taken down in a tackle by Betsy Braddock, who had apparently not been near a sword but was still determined to fight her way through. If her robed attire was any indication, she'd been caught in the showers.

Behind her were both Miles Morales and Kamala Khan, and although Kamala was bleeding, they all seemed to be alright. Coulson was willing to bet that was in large part thanks to both the Hydra rifles they were each holding and the fact that a very battered-looking Matt Murdock was with the three Tahiti kids.

And on top of all that, Billy Kaplan was looking dazed and singed but definitely pleased with himself, for some reason. Apparently, the kid had been _helping_ Johnny Storm build flashy grenades in his downtime and had a few when Hydra thought it was a good idea to attack.

They didn't have time for explanations, though, when a fresh round of green-covered soldiers hit the hallways, guns blazing. Coulson was surprised at how quickly Betsy and Matt were able to get between the new threat and the smaller kids, even though the kids were the ones who were armed.

Coulson rolled up his sleeves the slightest bit as he stepped in front of Billy, but he turned when he heard the sound of footsteps behind him and narrowed his eyes as he realized that the little group was about to be boxed into the hallway.

"Braddock, get them _out_ of here," Coulson ordered before he looked to Kamala. "I'm going to need to borrow that," he told her in a much softer tone, and when she handed it over, he swapped her for one of his sidearms. "Give that to Miles; he knows how to shoot it," he said before he turned back to the hallway and took a deep breath. There was a room right at the juncture of the hallway, and the door opened out.

He rushed for that room and pulled the door open, his plan to basically use it as half a bottleneck. He jammed it in place as best he could and then opened fire at the approaching green wave, glancing over his shoulder between shots to see that at least the kids and Matt were following his lead, headed for the hallway he was blocking while it was still an open avenue for escape.

He heard a shout as Murdock went down, but Betsy had him scooped up and hardly paused as she kept running.

* * *

Kurt and Kate had taken it upon themselves to take on the Hydra soldiers who thought it was a good idea to come knocking on medical's door while their friend was in there getting patched up after all those creeps had put him through.

They were on opposite sides of the hall — though Kurt could see Kate comfortably shooting through everyone in green — when Kurt spotted Zemo. It looked like Zemo was trying to come around to the other side of medical to find a way in, and Kurt rushed after him, cutting through the soldiers in his path.

Kurt caught his glimpse of purple and green as they rounded a corner only moments after he'd come around another corner down the hall. Several Hydra soldiers' bodies were sprawled along the length of the hall, and there was plenty of blood, but he didn't see anyone from their side among the fallen — not yet, anyways. He charged down the hall, not bothering to mask his footsteps now — most of the battle sounds had died down anyway. He wanted Zemo to hear him coming, and he wanted him to run. If he was going to fight Zemo, he needed more space than a hallway. He only hoped Zemo would oblige.

"Out of my way, child," Zemo hissed.

"This ends _now_ ," Kurt replied. "You're not getting through here, so go on your way. The last time we did this, you came out worse. Or would you like to try again?"

"I don't have to answer to you, boy," Zemo snarled. He raised a hand, and his soldiers both raised their guns and fired at Kurt. Kurt dropped to the ground and rolled to the side before popping up and running in a zig zag pattern at one of the soldiers.

The perk for Kurt concerning the odd energy weapons Hydra was putting into rotation was that they were powerful — but not exactly rapid-fire like a regular gun. They took several seconds to recharge between shots, so if the soldiers missed on their first shot — which they did — they were forced to wait and fight some other way while Kurt came for them.

One tried to keep out of blade range, and the other opted for the more reckless charge. Kurt's plan was to hit the gun barrel, but he changed at the last second and carved a deep gash along the soldier's arm. He didn't even need both swords for that. The man wailed and dropped the gun before dropping to the floor himself, clutching his arm as blood soaked his green sleeve.

The other man had gotten his weapon recharged and let loose another blast in Kurt's direction. Kurt dodged to the side, and the blue energy barely missed him, actually singeing his pant leg. Kurt charged the other man, who tried to use his gun like a sword of his own, aiming at Kurt's head, but Kurt bent backwards, and the butt of the gun swept harmlessly over him. Kurt straightened and used the momentum of rising up to drive the sword forward into the man's gut.

The soldier crumpled, and Kurt whirled to find Zemo, making for the door to the medical bay. " _Nope_ ," Kurt said and raced after him, actually having to haul him back by his purple coat. Kurt tossed him to the floor, but by the time he had jumped down too, Zemo was on his feet, with his sword out.

"You wanted a fight, you insignificant _ant_ of a boy? You will get a fight." Zemo leveled his sword and thrust it forward. It was an easy block, one that Kurt made with one sword and jabbed the other one at Zemo's gut. Zemo darted backward before striking again. Their blades clashed with a spectacular ring of metal. Kurt was pretty sure a couple sparks flew.

"I don't have a partner this time," Kurt said. "But I've got both my swords." They practically danced around the hangar, trading blows and parries, and Kurt could see further down the hall that Kate was watching the fight, clearly ready to take a shot, but they were too close and moving too swiftly to get a clear shot in.

If Kurt had been fighting with a single sword, he'd probably be dead. Zemo managed to not only block the single strikes but avoid the follow-up strikes with the second rapier. That's not to say Kurt hadn't managed a few hits — Zemo was bleeding from several small cuts, but nothing disabling.

However, Kurt was remembering their other fight and how the more Zemo was injured, the angrier and more reckless he got, and it looked like the same thing was happening again. Zemo's swings were getting wilder and bigger, giving Kurt more time to block them and land his own hits. Zemo was shrieking with rage now, and Kurt was pushing him backward toward a wall, where he could hopefully get the man pinned.

The tide was finally turning in his favor — and then he heard the whine of a Hydra gun powering up. There was the sound of the gun discharging before a burning pain erupted over Kurt's right shoulder and upper back. Kurt almost dropped his swords but managed to cling to them as he stumbled back. A glance behind him told him that the soldier he'd sliced in the arm was not as down as he had seemed and had managed a lucky shot before collapsing once more. Kurt's shirt sagged, the fabric charred and disintegrating around the blast mark.

Zemo, sensing an opportunity, lunged forward. Kurt thrust both of his blades up in a parry and let out an involuntary cry of pain as the wound burned. The force of the blow sent Kurt stumbling backward, but he managed to keep his footing — just barely. He knew if he didn't end this _now_ , Zemo would end him.

With a roar, he dove forward, catching Zemo off-guard, and shoved him back toward the wall. While Zemo was off balance, Kurt reared back and drove one of his swords through Zemo's shoulder, pushing back until the sword sank into the wall, pinning Zemo there. The man screamed in rage and agony and tried in vain to free himself, until Kurt stabbed his other sword through the man's chest. "I told you," he said through deep breaths. "I gave you a choice, and you chose wrong."

The sound of footsteps nearby made him turn, but when he saw that it was Kate, he relaxed. "Oh good," he said. "It's not fun to have a cool sword fight if no one's around to see it."

Kate let out a little laugh at that as she rushed over, noticing the burned, bloodied fabric of Kurt's shirt. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Kurt nodded and staggered slightly. "Yeah, but I'm…" He blinked hard. "Or maybe I'm not as okay…" One of his swords clattered to the ground, and Kate rushed forward to catch him.

"Alright, hero. My turn to take care of you," she told him as he went limp.


	12. Damage Report

**Chapter 12: Damage Report**

* * *

 _Hydra Base_

* * *

The Hyra raid against SHIELD's base had been more than a typical bombing run, since they expected Zemo to check and make sure that Fury really was dead. Which meant that Bobbi had front row seats as the purple-clad man took on a boy at least a few decades younger and _lost_.

And the best way for her to mask her relief was to fall into what she had done with Viper during the Games: critique. She had plenty to say, too — not only in critiquing Zemo's form but in critiquing the plan the soldiers were implementing to try to get into medical, something she _could_ speak on, since she had worked in that wing often enough to know that their method of approach would _never_ get through the lockdown procedures.

"Almost makes me miss the Games," Viper said slowly.

"If this was the Games, Zemo would be twenty years younger and might have a chance," Bobbi quipped. "Really, Baron — I thought you taught him yourself."

"Twenty years ago, I doubt Zemo would have been able to keep up either," Viper laughed.

"He should not have lost to that _child_ ," Strucker said, clearly annoyed about the whole thing.

"Perhaps not, but talent, it seems, is overflowing in a boy that's had no more than a couple years with a blade." Viper smiled wider at him and laid on her sarcastic tone. "You should be so proud."

"Thank Duquesne. He has his favorites, and Wagner was one of them," Bobbi chimed in. "Perhaps we should have _him_ teach Hydra's master swordsmen."

"It would give our forces a chance against the farm boy." Viper was clearly enjoying poking at Strucker.

Strucker bared his teeth Bobbi's way, clearly annoyed. "One lucky child does not make any difference in the scheme of things."

"I used to be able to pin him in training," Bobbi said. "If you'd sent me, this would be over, and your forces would not be in retreat."

"If we'd sent you, it would indeed have been over — and you would have run right back into the arms of your precious SHIELD," Strucker shot back angrily.

At that, Bobbi spun on her heel and really allowed herself to lose her temper at him. " _Really?_ " She took another step his way, her entire posture screaming that she was ready for a fight. "After everything I've given Hydra — my loyalty, my time, my talents. I've hand-delivered you success after success, and you _presume_ to tell me where _my_ loyalty lies?"

"Pay no attention," Viper said with a little wave. "He's threatened because _his_ little protege has proven himself a better pincushion than swordsman."

"At least my protege had his loyalties in the right place," Strucker hissed her way.

Viper narrowed her eyes at him for a moment and shifted her position to one more formal. "Would you care for a glass of wine? I know how you love a nice dry red."

Strucker turned his full gaze to her and held her venomous glare for a moment longer before he simply narrowed his eyes. "Has there been any _proof_ that your little dog did his job, or is that more smoke to blow in Mockingbird's favor?"

"Impossible to tell when _your_ man was unable to even set foot in their facilities," Viper said. "We'll know soon enough."

"Children, all will be known soon enough," Schmidt said, though it was clear he was amused. "We do still have our source inside that will inform us of how efficient all of our attacks today were." He turned to Bobbi for a moment. "High enough up the ladder to know for sure what worked."

Bobbi opened her hands in an open gesture. "Then we wait."

* * *

 _SHIELD Base Two_

* * *

"Damage report," Fury called out. "I need to hear it from everyone that's still in this." The director had been in medical when the fight started, and though he saw the doors closing, he was on the far end of the wing, well away from the doors to get out in time to help. So instead, he simply locked and loaded — waiting for Hydra to try to break in where the medical personnel and Logan, among others, were locked in, otherwise unarmed.

For the most part, the reports that came in were all the same — Hydra had flooded the base, and his operatives were doing well to drive them back. The only real problem was that Hill had taken so many forces to the Capitol that Hydra had them in sheer numbers.

"Coulson, I want you to stick with Tahiti," Fury said. "Bring a mini-scrambler to medical as soon as you can. We need to move out, and I don't want to be followed."

"On my way, sir," Coulson's response came out, a bit clipped; he was still dealing with a couple of the youngest Tahiti kids coming down from the adrenaline high of the raid.

"Can you open medical from the inside, director?" Kate cut in over the comms. "Please? Uh ... Kurt sort of got himself shot. Killed Zemo, though."

"All injured should report to medical to see how dire their situations are. I want wheels up within the hour. Just patch jobs for now," Fury said as he made his way to the doors.

"Ummmmmm." Jan's voice broke in over the comms. "Yeah, we're going to need more than a patch job." On the other end of the line, Fury could hear someone wordlessly shouting before Jan said, "Moira's … going into labor. I don't… really… know... ?"

"Bring her down," Simmons said from behind Fury's shoulder. "It could be quick or it could take hours. We need to see her to assess it."

"Right, right," Jan said, and it was clear even without seeing them that Jan was the one panicking as everyone else could hear Moira gently telling Jan what to do — when she had her breath.

Cecilia shared a look with Simmons before she took over on the comm, walking Jan through what she needed to do and shaking her head about how _Jan_ of all people was more nervous than Charles — though he was on the other end of the comm doing his calmest impression of a nervous father.

Still, when Moira, Charles, and Jan made it down to the medical wing, it was easier to see that the very calm tones Charles had been using were completely put on — because his whole body language was worried over Moira, almost a mirror image of Kate across the medical wing worrying over Kurt, though neither of them even looked at each other to see the hilarity of that.

Claire quickly pulled a curtain around Moira and shooed out Jan, who was hovering. After a few moments, she came out, shaking her head. "I'm going to give her an IV. She's got a way to go … but unless your new hideout is at least somewhat close?" She shook her head. "We'll probably see a baby by morning."

"It's close enough," Fury replied. "Take the worst cases in here and put them on my transport. I want them all settled in by the time the rest of the base shows up."

* * *

 _September 23_

 _Fury's Secret Base_

* * *

When Logan woke up in SHIELD custody, restrained tightly to a backboard, his reaction was not one that any of the medical staff had expected. Instead of thrashing and fighting to get up, he remained stock still. The only indication that he'd even breached the realm of consciousness was the fact that his heart monitor and respiration rate went wild.

Simmons came in to check on him once the alarms on the monitors went off, and he stared at her in pure terror for a long moment, though she was smart enough to recognize it for what it was. She put her hands up in front of herself and slowly backed away, trying to reassure him quietly that she wasn't going to hurt him. "I… I promise, I'm not even going to give you the usual poke," she said, trying for a small smile that didn't get a response at all like she was used to.

Fury had taken up watch on the other side of the observation window and was completely puzzled by Logan's reaction. He was so _still_. Coulson was observing with Fury and equally disturbed by Logan's underwhelming outward reaction to whatever was going on.

"Only doctors or nurses that he liked," Fury told him. "Clearly, whatever they did left lasting damage. He needs friendly faces. Lots of them. I don't want him alone for a moment."

"He seemed to get along with Fitzsimmons," Coulson suggested. "I can have them stay close."

"Try it; see how it goes," Fury said. "But watch him. If he keeps reacting like this, or if he doesn't come around, we'll have to try something else." He was frowning as he spoke, already unsure of his own orders simply because he'd never _seen Logan_ like that.

"It's a good move, Nick," Coulson told him quietly. "You're right: friendly faces. People who he should know aren't going to hurt him. It's a smart move."

"Try to restrain yourself from running in for a hug," Fury deadpanned.

Coulson smirked. "Try to refrain from looking like you want one, sir," he shot right back.

Fury turned and raised an eyebrow at him before he let out a breath of a laugh and went back to watching his wayward operative's reaction to the totally non-threatening Simmons.

Coulson slipped out the door, intending to check on the rest of his downed kids, but he didn't have to go far at _all_ before he ran almost smack into Skye.

"Is he in there?" she asked him outright, looking past Coulson to the door he'd exited. "When can I see my lumberjack?"

"He's in the observation room," Coulson said slowly, though he was obviously blocking her path. "But you can't go in yet. He needs to be assessed first. Simmons is getting started now."

"But I _am_ going to see him. How bad can it be?"

"If you only want to _see_ him, you can join director Fury in the observation room," Coulson said. "But no one is going in the isolation room with him but medical personnel. It's bad, Skye."

"Then let me through," she said with a little frown, already moving to shoulder past him before she paused. "Oh ... if you want something happy, go see Charles and Moira. They've got a cute little boy."

"I could use a little happy," Coulson admitted and started to walk away before he paused and turned back to her. "Oh, and Skye? Try not to panic."

"Go cuddle a cute baby — it'll put you in a good mood," she said, already pushing into the room, though she stopped short when she saw how terrified Logan was of _Jemma Simmons_ , who was the sweetest person on the face of the planet except for _maybe_ Cassie Lang.

"What… what did they do to him?" she asked before she could stop herself — even before the door was shut behind her, her eyes wide and one hand pressed to her mouth.

Fury turned her way and let out a breath. "Everything they could."

She kept her hand over her mouth as she slowly inched her way forward. "But. _Logan_ …" She stared openly his way and looked pained. "He went through hell a thousand times before. _What_ did they…?"

"Like I said: everything they could," Fury said. "We have a lot of work ahead of us, but I have the full list of torture and drugs — that's probably what's got him twisted up right now. Restrained with an IV waiting to be used. But that'll have to wait until Charles is done undoing what they did to his mind."

"He's going to need someone with him," she said through her fingers.

"We're still not sure how deep this is," Fury admitted. "Nothing Morse sent mentioned anything like this. Unless of course, it's a hidden trigger she didn't know about."

"With all due respect, sir, I don't care how bad it is," Skye told him.

"That's because you didn't see him trying to kill his teammates," Fury replied before he tipped his head toward the two-way glass. "That man — that is _not_ Logan. Not right now, that is. But we'll get him back once Xavier undoes the brainwashing. Don't worry. We're not letting him give up this easy."

"Good." Skye stepped a little closer to the glass before she glanced Fury's way. "Do you mind the company, sir?"

"Not at all," he said, his tone thoughtful as he watched what was happening in the room. He wasn't sure what was worse at the moment: the fact that Logan was panicking and doing his best to remain stock still or the fact that Simmons was tripping over herself apologizing for simply trying to take his vitals.

* * *

Almost as soon as Coulson stepped through the door where the Xavier clan was taking up residence, Kamala seized him by the arm and dragged him over toward where a crowd was starting to gather. "He has the _cutest_ carrot top _ever_!"

Coulson couldn't help but smile at her excitement, and when he came over to see the biggest grin he had _ever_ seen on Charles Xavier's face, he couldn't help but match it with one of his own, especially when the cute little redheaded boy let out a yawn and snuggled up to Moira sweetly.

"He's perfect," Coulson said, the smile widening when he saw how absolutely entranced the entirety of his Tahiti team was. It was especially entertaining to see several of the kids who had needed patching up with huge, almost dopey grins on their faces, too.

Though they really should have known better in some cases. The fact that Kurt was half draped over Kate with a dopey grin on his face watching Charles and Moira had _not_ escaped Clint's notice — and Peter was mouthing what looked like 'behold the future' over Charles' shoulder Kate and Kurt's way. Kate was shooting Peter dirty looks for it, but Kurt was a little too doped up to care too much about the teasing.

"What did you name him?" Coulson asked, subtly putting himself between Peter and Kate's line of sight for the time being.

"David Charles," Moira said with a tired smile. "Would ye like tae hold him?"

Coulson paused, but with the entire population of Tahiti _grinning_ at him, there was no other answer he could give but, "Sure. Why not." A moment later, there was a very, very small redhead in his arms, and he raised both eyebrows for a moment, blinked, and then readjusted so that he was holding the little boy a little closer.

"Awww, lookit Director Dad," Wade said in a completely melty voice, his chin resting on his hands.

"It's a good look, Phil," Clint called out with a crooked grin.

Coulson gave the two boys a dry look for a moment that was tempered with the little smile that he couldn't quite tamp down as he looked back down at the little guy, who seemed to be perfectly content to curl up into Coulson to go to sleep.

"I think he likes you," Kamala said, sounding absolutely delighted.

"Got good taste," Kate agreed.

"Does that mean you're next to hold him?" Coulson challenged Clint's way.

"If he's got good taste, yep," Clint agreed without hesitating. "Nat first, though — we all know she's better'n me."

Natasha raised a single eyebrow. "Thank you, Clint. Because what I'm most known for is my maternal instinct."

"Well, there isn't anything about a Black Widow that's _not_ maternal," Wade said with a one-shouldered shrug. "It's the mating habits you have to watch out for."

"That's how people get stabbed," Quill said in a stage whisper that earned him what would have been a withering look from Natasha if it had been literally anyone else.

"That's what I just said," Wade replied perfectly normally.

Natasha shot him a much more withering look. "Thank you, Wade."

"You're very welcome, Mama Spider!" was his cheerful response.

"Then it's a good thing I'm not seeing anyone. But I can still stab you if you like," she said without moving an inch.

"Oh, I'm not getting in the middle of _that_ monster," Wade laughed.

"The Clintasha one?" Cassie whispered over his shoulder with a twinkle in her eyes.

"Yes, but they don't know about it yet," Wade whispered back with his hand over his mouth.

"I think they do," she countered. "I really do."

"I dunno; the Hawkingbird monster is still fighting the good fight..."

"I saw him coming out of her _room_ , Wade."

"True," he said, tipping his head to one side. "But … do not forget the long courtship dance of the Hawkcrawler. Maybe birds just move slower." He raised both arms like wings and started to slowly lower them halfway as he made strangled bird noises.

Cassie giggled outright at that. "You might be right," she had to agree as she rested her chin on his shoulder. "But you know… now that Logan's back…"

"What about him?" Wade said.

"Well, now that he's back, maybe the Hawkcrawler dance will resume. Hard to be lovey dovey when you're worried like that," she whispered.

Wade looked both ways down the medical ward. "Well, I don't see him here."

"True." She pushed her lower lip out in a bit of a pout. "But I heard Pete saying he was with Doctor Strange for some procedure…."

Kate leaned over to join the hushed conversation. "Yeah, as soon as the doctors look him over we're going to get our Wolverine back."

"You're awfully optimistic, Better Hawkeye. You can't … it can't be that easy," Wade said, shaking his head.

Kate let out a breath and raised both shoulders up to her ears, but it was Kurt who looked at Wade as if he was dense. "Of course it is. We'll get Logan back. That's all there is to it."

"Well... If you're lucky … I mean, there's a _lot_ of work there," Wade said. "It's not like he ever does anything easy, and I'm sure they kicked the crap out of his tires."

"No. No, he doesn't," Kurt said, shaking his head quietly. "Not ever. At all. _Nein_."

Kate smirked and readjusted the way that she was holding Kurt. "You just need the one 'no', sweetheart."

"It needed repeating, _liebling_." He grinned at her crookedly and leaned over to kiss her cheek, which had Cassie gesturing wordlessly Kate and Kurt's way.

"See what I mean?" she whispered in Wade's ear, and he grinned at her.

"Yes, yes I do, Cassielang."

* * *

 _September 26_

 _Secret Lab in Fury's Secret Base_

* * *

It was clear that Logan flat didn't trust any of the medical personnel, and his previous aversion to needles had gotten completely out of control — but at least they'd expected it.

Along with the regular check ins Bobbi had managed to do with Fury, she'd been pretty meticulous about making note of every drug Hydra had used and for how long — every method they'd gone through to force him to comply and every single trigger word or phrase and what it did.

But even with all that, they did not expect to have the trouble they were having with the little victor. It was quickly apparent the first time that Fury came into the room with him that his perception of the director was wildly altered from what they all knew to be their usual repertoire. Charles had suggested that Fury and Coulson start off trying to spark something in his memory that Hydra hadn't altered when it came to Fury, but the failure on that front was obvious, glaring, and disturbingly clear as Fury and Coulson tried to retell some of the things that Logan had done either with Fury or in his company.

The more the director talked, though, the more the frown deepened on Logan's face. They could almost see him wanting to believe what they were saying but simply not trusting it before he finally spoke. "No," Logan said in a shaky voice, cutting Fury off midway through an incredibly amusing story about something that had happened with Hill on the firing range. Logan had talked Fury into switching her rounds with blanks, and Hill had been positively next to herself. "That didn't happen … I don't remember that. "

The statement in itself was startling to Fury, since the prank had been Logan's idea, and it had taken some time for him to talk Fury into it.

But Coulson had come prepared for this particular outcome, and he'd brought a laptop that belonged to Skye that happened to be cued up with the security footage of the incident — complete with Logan and Fury joking around like old friends.

As Logan watched the video, he had started out looking incredibly confused, and for a short moment, it only seemed to deepen, until finally, the confusion melted away to something more like acceptance. The two SHIELD agents thought it was good progress up until Coulson saw the expression on Logan's face.

He looked almost sick, and his eyes were closed as he rasped out "You can't trust me."

"We did before," Fury said calmly. "And we'd like to again."

But Logan was already shaking his head as he started to get more and more worked up — seemingly out of nowhere. "No. _You can't_." There was a definite tremor in his voice as he looked up at Fury. "You gotta kill me before something goes wrong."

Fury looked irritated for a moment as he tried to assert himself. "Logan, that's not going to happen. That is _not_ how we work."

"Not worth the risk," Logan replied, almost shaking from head to toe as he locked his jaw and steeled himself — waiting for Fury to do what he thought was the right thing. "Just do it, or I'll do it myself."

As Fury looked clearly taken aback and tried to argue the point, Logan completely lost his cool and reminded them why he remained strapped down tightly as he blew up at Fury — his tone quickly switching from what passed for reasonable to positively snarling as he demanded Fury put him down.

Skye, who hadn't left the observation room, was crying with one hand over her mouth as Coulson took the syringe that Simmons had left behind and put it into the IV line, and it was only then that Logan let out almost a laugh of relief, obviously assuming that Coulson was the one to do as he'd been asking before his eyes drifted shut and his vitals slowed to a more acceptable pace.

"Let me try," Skye offered almost as soon as Coulson was back through the door between the observation booth and the isolation room.

"I'm not sure that's the best idea," Coulson replied, obviously shaken by the interaction.

"He wouldn't ask me to do that," she said, her eyes brimming with tears. "Maybe I can help. Please."

"I didn't think he'd ask Fury either," Coulson said.

"It's different for me," Skye said.

Coulson looked overly serious as he shook his head. "Let Mac try first."

Skye crossed her arms and glared at Coulson, her entire face scrunched up, before she spun on her heel and stormed out of the room. There was no reason for her to be there anyway, clearly.

She was stomping down the hallway of the much smaller hidden base, so it really wasn't possible for anyone to miss the fact that she was upset. It was just good luck that she ran into Kate, who took in the look on Skye's face and fell into step with her. "Whoever it is, I can hit 'em high if you want to hit 'em low."

"Coulson — and maybe Fury too," Skye said, her arms crossed as she let out a growl of frustration. "They are being unbelievably _stupid._ " She continued to pace a short path as she fumed, though what she could do about it, she just wasn't sure. "They won't let me _in._ "

Kate watched Skye pace for a moment before she let out a derisive snort. "Yeah, that's not gonna fly," she told her. "Stay right there. I've got a couple of directors to yell at."

"I already tried—"

"It doesn't work if you're asking for yourself," Kate said. "Just… go make sure my Elf hasn't tried to escape medical again, would you? He hasn't quite learned where everything is in this new place, and he gets lost."

"Surprised they didn't just _tie him down_ ," Skye grumbled.

Kate paused, glanced Skye's way, and narrowed her eyes before she spun on her heel toward where Skye had just come from to pound on the door. "Coulson, let me in or so help me…!" she shouted out.

A moment later, the door was opened and Coulson gave her a perfectly dry look. "Can I help you?"

"Not _me_ ," Kate said, both hands on her hips and jutted her chin out while she glared Coulson's way. "What the heck are you thinking? Keeping Skye out? What is _wrong with you_?"

"I'm trying to protect her," Coulson said, eyes flashing. "You don't know what's going on."

"I know Skye just walked past _crying_ and _upset_ and that it's your fault, so the whole salient details thing isn't really my concern," Kate countered.

Coulson looked up and down the hall before he stepped back. "You may not think so — but they really are."

Kate kept right on glaring at him hard all the way up until she stepped in the room — and then she paused. "You tied him down."

"We had no choice," Coulson replied. "If you'd seen the way he blew up at Fury and I …"

"Umm. No offense, but you two aren't exactly at the top of his favorite people list," Kate pointed out.

"He was demanding we kill him. Before he offered to do it himself."

That got Kate to freeze. She turned very slowly Coulson's way, her eyes wide, and she let the obvious shock show all over her face. "Oh."

"I don't want her going in there if he blows up at _her_ like that." Coulson gestured to the now sleeping Logan. "Because that? That was not in any of Bobbi's notes."

Kate was worrying her hands without really realizing she was doing it. "Well… we can't… just… give up on him."

"Of course not," Coulson scoffed. "I want to try with Mac Hudson first. Maybe your team if you want to try." He shook his head. "But I'm not subjecting Skye to that."

"Of course we'll try. But … Skye wants to help too," Kate said softly.

"And I want her to, just not when he's so … reactive." He leaned against the table near the two-way glass. "I just want to get him on the right track first."

Kate let out a sigh as she leaned forward and watched her unconscious friend for a long moment. "As soon as Kurt is better, he's going to want to help too," she said softly. "He's already asking where Logan is, but he keeps forgetting when I tell him."

"Shouldn't be much longer with those accelerating drugs," Coulson said. "Xavier will be down a little later to start hypnotism sessions. We're hoping if he catches him half doped up, he won't fight it as hard."

"That would be good. The X man's good," Kate nodded to herself. "And Logan needs to get better so he can show off his trick on the X baby," she added with a weak smile.

"I thought that was a joke," Coulson said with a little smirk.

"No, no. I've seen it work on my niece," Kate said. "Like. Every single time he holds her. It's just… some kind of secret power."

Coulson chuckled. "Well, he's not going to have much luck with David. He seems to be content all the time."

"Have you _seen_ his dad?" Kate grinned as she leaned back. "Look at my not-at-all-surprised face, Coulson."

"Also content all the time," Coulson agreed. "More so in the last few months."

"Well, that's what happens when secret lovers finally get to get married," Kate said with a sideways grin.

"Is that how you're announcing your engagement?" Coulson deadpanned.

Kate turned a brilliant pink color. " _NO_."

"Just checking," he said with a smirk, eyes back on Logan and the smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth, threatening to shift into a smile.

"Besides, _I_ am not the person you should ask about those things," Kate said haughtily.

"I thought you said Kurt was too drugged up to remember anything," Coulson said, still trying to keep the smile at bay.

"Um, yes, yes he is, but I'm just saying if you want to know things, that's on him. I did the hard work kissing him first," she said as if this was perfectly logical. "So he has to do the proposal. Eventually."

"Right. Well, I'm glad to know that our rules didn't need to be in effect for some of our couples anyhow," he teased.

She put on an affronted look. "Coulson," she said. "I am not engaged; I am seventeen. This is what I'm supposed to be doing. What could you possibly be thinking?"

"Seventeen-year-olds should not be fighting wars," Coulson pointed out. "I just assumed that you'd matured a little quicker as a result."

Kate let out a little breath as she leaned against the wall. "Well… yeah," she said quietly.

"I'm sure you'll hear how things go with Mac," Coulson said.

"I'm sure," Kate agreed as she kicked off from the wall, paused, and then reached over to slug Coulson. "And that's for making Skye cry. Justified or not, that's stupid."

"She was crying when I got into this room," Coulson said. "I didn't start it. But if you want to hit him for it, just avoid his right arm. Jemma will get mad if she has to re-stitch him again."

"Got it. But I'm not gonna hit the tied-down guy, Coulson. That's just wrong."

Coulson let the smirk show as he tried not to chuckle. "You know if he was awake he'd probably tell you that's the only way you'd land a hit."

"If he told me that, he would be _wrong_ — but at least that's a Logan thing to say," Kate pointed out. "So I'll take it."

"Keep an eye on her, would you?" Coulson asked.

"We all do," she promised. "Me and the other awesomes have adopted her, you know. We look out for our own."


	13. Strategy of a Summers

**Chapter 13: Strategy of a Summers**

* * *

 _September 27_

 _Fury's Secret Base_

* * *

That session… had not gone well.

Scott had come with Mac and observed from the room adjacent to Logan's as Mac tried to talk to Logan, tried to reason with him or just… get him to stop acting like he was. But no matter what Mac had tried, there was no changing the simple fact that Logan was having none of it, though the most shocking part of the whole session was that Logan _quit._ One minute, he and Mac were arguing heatedly, and the next, Logan simply closed his eyes and stopped.

That didn't jive at all with what Scott knew, what he'd seen and experienced for himself. The guy he'd dealt with didn't know _how_ to stop, let alone when. So seeing him like that… it was clear Mac didn't know what to do, and Scott was at a loss as well, with no idea what to even say to Mac after he came out of the room looking like he did.

"It's only been a few days," Scott finally offered in an undertone to Mac, purely because Mac looked so discouraged he couldn't keep from at least _trying_ to cheer his adoptive dad up. Even if he had no idea what to say after that. Yeah, it had been a few days, but … that just meant the days ahead were going to be long. He knew Mac wouldn't give up on his cousin, but it was going to be rough, especially when Logan had so clearly given up on himself.

Mac looked very quietly resigned until they got back to where the rest of the Hudsons were staying. Of course, as soon as Josh hit Mac with a hug around the knees, the resigned expression was carefully stashed away as Mac scooped him up into a snuggle that Mac needed every bit or more than Josh did.

Scott, on the other hand, kept looking thoughtful after he'd walked with Mac all the way back… and then he turned around to go right back where they'd come.

He didn't exactly know what he'd do. Or say. But he knew he had to do _something_ , so when he got to the room and found Coulson frowning at the mirrored glass, he put on his most determined glare. "I'm talking with him," Scott said, gesturing at the room on the other side.

Coulson glanced up at Scott for a moment then back to Logan before he drew in a deep, slow breath and nodded. "Good luck."

Scott paused for only a second at how much arguing he _didn't_ have to do before he nodded once and pulled open the door to the isolation room. Though he tried to temper it, Scott couldn't pull back the frustration at all, arms crossed as he looked at the strapped-down former victor. "That was some crap you just pulled with Mac."

Logan closed his eyes and locked his jaw. Out of all the people to throw at him … "Thought you didn't go along with torture, Coulson."

"You're one to talk. What the _hell_?" Scott said through gritted teeth. "You have any idea what that stunt is putting your friends through? What — you giving up on them too? Walk away like always?"

Logan let out a sigh and nodded. "Yeah. That's the idea."

"Then don't make Mac watch," Scott ground out.

"Let me up and I won't."

"No."

"Summers, let me up and I won't bother any of them again."

"This isn't _about you_ , you arrogant…!" Scott trailed off, pissed off at this point as he threw his hands in the air.

"I'm _just_ trying to get out of the equation." He turned his head as much as he could Scott's way. "I'm _agreeing_ with you."

"On _what_?" Scott asked, clearly livid. "You've never agreed with me a day in your life."

"I got no business around any of 'em. At all."

Scott let out a frustrated sound, shook his head, and made for the door. "Right. So why try now that they _care_? Typical." He slammed the door shut behind him as he went, muttering a dark "good luck" toward Coulson before he stalked out to get some air, passing Peter Quill on the way as the young ex-victor was headed in to take his turn making sure Logan wasn't alone.

"What's got him all worked up?" Quill asked when he got down to Coulson. "He was nearly matching his glasses."

Coulson let out a long, weary sigh. "He came with Mac and heard when Logan told Mac he'd be better off dead. Summers came back in swinging." He ran a hand over his face. "Those two… have never gotten along."

" _Why_ … why would he pull that now?" Quill asked with a frown.

Coulson gestured toward the room with one hand. "Logan, apparently, feels that he's too compromised and dangerous to keep alive. As for Scott — I'm not entirely sure, but he seems to take exception to Logan."

"Yeah, I kinda got that when they were up on the roof. You know. In the Capitol. I just figured it wouldn't carry over."

"Well, it has." Coulson sat down heavily. "I shouldn't have let him in the room."

"You had no idea he was gonna do that," Quill said. "And … I don't think he would have either if he had _any clue._ " He looked to the room and then to the door that he'd just come through. "Can you cover for me for a little bit? I think it's time someone gave that kid a clue."

Coulson nodded and wordlessly gestured toward the door. "Go ahead."

Quill turned on his heel and swept right back down the hallway he'd just come down, and it didn't take him long at all to find Scott, as the young man had more or less gone in a straight line until he came out on the nearest fresh air, an overhang in the mountains where Fury had hidden them all that still protected the whole place from view.

It looked like Scott had been pacing, if the footprints in the snow were any indication, and Quill huffed before he went right over and grabbed the young man by the shoulder to spin him to face him. "Way to kick a guy when he's down, Million Dollar Kid. _Great job_. Really spectacular."

"Don't start with me," Scott shot back, shrugging Quill's hand off of his shoulder with a deeply set glare. "You don't know the first thing about what happened."

"No, kiddo — _you_ don't know the first thing that happened."

"I was _there_ ," Scott said, eyes flashing. "You know what he's been telling people, right?"

"Yeah, I do," Quill replied. "And to be honest, I'm surprised it's taken him this long."

Scott paused at that pronouncement and then shook his head. "What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"It means you don't know what he's been through to get to where he is," Quill said. "You _think_ you know, but you have no friggin clue."

Scott gestured outward, the annoyance clear on his face. "Then enlighten me," he snapped. "Because I'm telling you now — I _doubt_ there's anything I haven't already heard from Mac or Heather or even Clara."

"You sure about that?" Quill challenged. "Where do you want me to start? The 'normal' victor crap or the part where he basically traded himself off to save your butt in the Games?" He paused for a moment. "Or maybe you want to talk about the freakin' wedding band he's been wearing that no one wants to bring up."

The wind seemed to leave Scott's sails in an instant as he almost gaped at Quill for a moment. "What band?"

"Really? That's where you want to start?" Quill let out a totally mirthless laugh before more or less shouting into the snow. "You missed the black and _green_ wedding band?"

"Apparently," Scott said, looking much more like he was _listening_ now.

"Fury spilled the first time I went in there to see what the heck was taking so long," he said as he stopped his pacing. "Viper made him marry her. To fulfil a _favor_ he owed."

Scott swore under his breath when he heard it and shook his head. "That's what he meant when he said Seraph wasn't there," he muttered almost entirely to himself, though out in the snow just the two of them, Quill could hear it crystal clear.

"You ever wonder what the heck he could have _owed anyone for_?" Quill challenged. "Come on, you're supposed to be smart. Put it together."

Scott frowned and shook his head lightly. "There's no way he'd owe that much of a favor on _my_ account," he insisted. "He doesn't even like me."

"You have _no_ idea," Quill said, wide-eyed and angry. "It wasn't easy, pulling together what he did. _By any standards_ — and the royals set the bar _high._ " He continued his pacing again before he slapped one hand on his thigh and gestured to Scott. "But then again, maybe he wasn't just thinking about _you._ Considering who it was that adopted you. But I can promise you he wouldn't have done it at all if he didn't like you."

"No, no — you had it right at Mac and Heather," Scott said. "That fits."

"You're an _idiot_ , Million Dollar Kid. But you just go ahead and believe what you _need_ to. But you don't gotta push him even if you don't like him."

"Of course I do," Scott grumbled. "He's in there trying to bail on everyone _again_. Of course I do!"

"And you've missed the whole point," Quill said. "He's where he is because he _refused to bail._ Even when every other victor in the place was telling him to let it go, he wouldn't quit."

At that, Scott looked pissed as he spun to face Quill. "I _never_ asked him to do any of that. There was no _point_ , not being _his_ tribute. I knew I was dead going in. What the hell was the point?"

"But that's just it — you weren't," Quill said. "After you got your fancy shades, the odds were falling your way. Half the Capitol or better was betting on you."

Scott let out a humorless laugh. "Yeah, right up until they sent a giant spider mutt our way. You and I both know the Gamemakers don't _do_ that in the Final Four unless they don't like the way the Games are tipped."

At that Quill looked as pissed as Scott was. "You want to see Fury's notes from that day? They didn't send that spider — you just went the wrong damn way. And it wasn't the Gamemakers that had it out for you. It was the Royals."

Scott gestured at Quill. "Kind of my point, isn't it?"

"And you're _still_ missing the part where he went against the royals to try to help your stupid, stubborn, arrogant ass!"

"And look where it got him!" Scott shouted back.

"You know what, forget it," Quill said. "I'll let you know when he finally succeeds in offing himself, alright? Maybe then you can stop acting like … whatever this is." He was shaking his head as he headed toward the doors, muttering under his breath "I can't believe he was right. Waste of my time trying ..."

Scott watched Quill leave, still clearly frustrated, before he finally dropped down into the snow, with his back against the rock wall as he tried to sort it out for himself — without Quill yelling at him or Logan being… him.

It was several hours later when Scott did finally come back in, shaking the snow off his jacket and looking more thoughtful than usual — which was saying something. And when he did step into the room where Coulson was, he very quickly held up both hands. "I'm not here to start anything."

"What can I do for you, Mr. Summers?" Coulson asked.

Scott glanced to where Peter Parker was having about as much success as anyone else had thus far and then back to Coulson before he indicated a seat near Skye. "Just want to observe," he said honestly.

Coulson looked from Scott to Skye. "It's up to her if she wants to sit with you."

Scott glanced at Skye, and she shrugged with a little smile and motioned to the seat, so he slipped in to sit next to her. "Any luck?" he asked, not expecting anything to have changed, but he wanted to know all the same.

"He's quieter," Skye said softly. "Hasn't yelled at Petey or honestly said much at all."

Scott winced slightly at that and shook his head. "That… might be my fault," he admitted.

"How?" she asked with a frown.

"I asked Coulson to let me talk to him and… well."

"What did you do?" she asked, looking irritated with him already.

"I lost my temper with him," Scott admitted. No sense in lying to her, after all.

"Are you kidding me?" she said, in an exasperated tone before she threw a pen at Coulson. "You'll let him go and yell at him but you won't even let me _in the room_?"

"Woah, hey — you should let her in," Scott said, turning Coulson's way with his eyebrows raised.

"You don't get to make requests," Coulson said to Scott before he turned to Skye. "Really? Throwing things? That's how toddlers get their way, Skye."

"Well you're not listening to anything _else_ ," she pointed out.

"And you're not going to bully your way in there," Coulson responded. "I told you before. He needs some _forward_ progress before you go in."

Scott gave Skye a sympathetic look as Peter came out of the other room looking disappointed. "Well, I tried," Peter said Skye's way. "Not even a micro-chuckle or a 'shut up Parker.'"

Skye let out a little sigh. "Thanks, Spidey," she said quietly. "Maybe next time."

"You want me to grab you something to eat while you're all… holed up camping in here?" Peter offered.

"I could go for my space heater," she replied with a smirk. "But maybe later."

"Sooner than later," Peter agreed before he slipped out the door.

"So who's up next?" Scott asked Coulson.

"No," Coulson said without looking at him.

"I was going to offer to go with Skye," he countered. "Not _alone_. I'm not that stupid." He gestured Skye's way. "You and I both know she'd deck me before she'd let me yell at him again."

"Oh yeah, I'd flatten him," Skye agreed, half-heartedly pounding one fist into the palm of her hand, hoping to get Coulson on board for at _least_ that much.

"It's not happening," Coulson said flatly. "I already told you no."

"That's because you forgot how to say _yes_ ," Skye tried to argue. " _Coulson!_ "

"I told you what needed to happen before you could get in that room, Skye. It's not a 'no.' It's a 'not yet.' So just... please be patient," Coulson argued.

"Sure sounds like a 'no'," she said sullenly.

Coulson shook his head at her but decided not to press the issue any further, since he could sympathize, after all. But that meant the room was very, very silent as Skye glared holes in the back of Coulson's head all the way through Jessica Drew's attempted visit. Which was about as successful for her as it had been for everyone else.

By the time May arrived to take over for Coulson, the normally stoic agent looked beyond frustrated, and May pulled him aside so she could talk to him out in the hall and get the update on what all had gone on, both of them speaking in quiet tones that even Skye with her ear pressed up against the door couldn't hear.

"How long do you think they'll be?" Scott asked as he stood up from his seat, crossing the room to the mic and door controls by the mirrored window.

"They usually don't take too long," Skye replied quietly. "Seeing as most of the time they share a brain. It's kind of scary to see them work in the field, really."

"I've never seen it, but I'll have to keep an eye out," Scott said with a smirk as he keyed in a code and the door unlocked. He gestured toward it. "What do you think — a couple minutes, maybe?"

"Are you kidding me?" she asked, wide-eyed.

"Um, no. I saw him key it in when Jessica Drew came in." Scott shrugged. "Come on; you're wasting time."

Skye grinned _widely_ at him as she slipped in through the door, with Scott just behind her watching their exit. He didn't exactly make a move to get any closer than the door and kept out of her way as she approached Logan on her own with a wide grin and a muttered: " _finally_."

"It's been _forever_ ," Skye said as she made herself comfortable in the chair that visitors could use, though she scooted it much closer than the others had. "I missed your face."

Logan looked at her in open surprise for a long moment. "Why?" he asked.

"Uh, because I love you, you goon," she said as if it was obvious.

"You're crazy," he replied thickly, shaking his head.

"Yeah, well ..." She grinned at him even wider. "But you love that about me. You said so yourself."

Logan seemed to think about it for a long while before he quietly cleared his throat. "What did they tell you?" he asked.

"Coulson tried to keep me out of all of it, but you know how well that works for him," she admitted. "So…"

"You changed all his passwords, didn't you?"

"He won't figure it out for a while. I spelled 'stupid' with two zeros and backwards."

"Skye, you don't have to stick around for any of this," he told her after a few moments. "I know you got more important things to deal with."

"Hey, _someone's_ gotta do something about _that_ stupid thing," she said, pointing at his left hand. "Quill took _his_ off the second he got here, but you know… seeing as you're tied down… I gotcha."

"Not gonna be that easy," he told her.

She frowned at that and scooted in a little closer, her eyes narrowed to slits when she saw the way the ring had been seared into the skin there. "Oh, I am going to _kill her_ ," she said in a tone that she just didn't use, clenching her hands into fists.

He dropped his gaze and closed his eyes in a clear attempt to try to block it all out.

Skye took in a breath when she saw his reaction and ground her teeth for a moment before she stopped herself from reaching out to lay a hand on his arm, bit her lip, and then reached out anyhow, very carefully and gently touching his arm. "So… how opposed are you to adultery, because _I_ don't have a problem with it, but…?"

He couldn't help but smirk at her for that. "You have a one-track mind, you know that?"

"I'm not even going to apologize. It's been weeks without my favorite lumberjack space heater, and I gotta tell you — your flannels just don't cut it."

"Yeah, I … don't know _how_ the hell that could ever happen again _._ " He shook his head lightly. "There isn't a way out of this."

"Well, Xavier has the whole rundown of what happened, and Hank's got all the drugs… all we gotta do is work at it…"

"I can't be trusted," he said flatly.

"Well, that's a lie." She crossed her arms.

"It's really not," he argued.

" _I_ trust you."

"Well you're wrong to do that," he said. " _I_ can't even trust me."

" _I_ trust you," Scott said from the door. He hadn't moved, but he shrugged his shoulders up as he said it and held Logan's gaze.

But Logan shook his head and looked down again. "I know better than that, and I really don't want to do this again, Slim."

"I'm not trying to pick a fight," he said, both to Logan and Skye, who looked a little wary. "The last thing I want to do is screw things up again," he added, this time mostly directed at Skye.

Skye held his gaze for a second before she leaned closer to Logan so she could speak at just over a whisper. "Yeah, he's the one who snuck us in, believe it or not," she had to admit. "Guess who memorized Coulson's code?" she added in a stage whisper. "Such a rebel."

"I'm sure there was a rule he tweaked to justify it," Logan replied. "Loopholes."

Scott looked a bit red-faced. "You… told me to listen to my girlfriend. Thought you should take your own advice," he muttered.

"And what advice is that?"

" _Listen to your girlfriend_ ," Scott said, gesturing Skye's way with the beginning of a smirk that Skye matched in spades.

"Yeah, come on, Logan. Even he knows I'm _right_ ," she agreed quickly..

"Every _director_ thinks so," Logan countered.

"Sounds like you're disagreeing with the girlfriend," Scott said, still with the smirk in place.

"Well he was _earlier_ ," Skye said, shaking her head at Logan.

"If you're talking about my ability to do anything I used to, I'm right," Logan replied.

"Mmm. No. Good try, thanks for playing, but I fully expect to be snuggling my sweetheart once Xavier and everybody gets done doing their thing," she said. "And you will have oh _so_ much missing time to make up for."

"I'll have to buy you an electric blanket," Logan told her. "Cause I doubt I'll see the outside of a cell again."

"Not nearly good enough," she said. "Can't snuggle it."

"And a very large teddy bear."

"Can't tease it."

"Skye, I don't remember most of my time with SHIELD," he pointed out.

"Do you remember me?"

"Yeah," he replied.

"You remember getting snowed in way up in the nowhere of district Seven? Or what about Heather _totally_ playing twenty questions? How 'bout the first time you kissed me?"

"No, that I remember," he said, nodding slightly.

"So the rest of it's just crap anyhow. You've still got the important stuff."

"I remember training. And the lab rats' experiments. Killing people with Creed …"

"What about when Kate's niece was born and you went and did that _thing_ that, I swear Logan, never ever do that in front of Heather or she'll give me _looks_."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied easily, though it was hard to tell if he was being serious or not.

"The thing with Katie?" she prompted. "I have never seen a baby stop crying so easy. And now there are two, Logan. Charles had his little boy, and I swear to you, I will actually _let_ Heather give me looks if you can just get better and do it to him too because that will mean you're _out_ of this stupid room."

"Yeah, you're talkin' nonsense," he said. "Not nice to make stories up, Skye."

"I can't even tell if you are screwing with me right now," she said.

"Neither can I," Logan replied with a little smirk that lasted far too short a time.

She had to laugh and shake her head at him as she scooted a little closer. "I missed you," she said as she very, _very_ carefully slid her hand down to his and gave him a quick squeeze.

He shifted his hand a little to hold onto her too. "Sorry for all this. I know I let everyone down."

"Save it for when you actually do something wrong like forget my birthday or something else equally horrible," she said, waving her free hand. "I'm just glad you're _back_. I missed the teasing, believe it or not."

"I don't believe it," Logan said. "And I'm not back. Not really."

"Not _entirely_. Not yet," she corrected him. "And you know what, that's okay. I'll take a little bit back over not at all and work from there."

"You'd do better getting a real pet. Like a dog or something."

"First of all, no, they are a pain to clean up after. And second of all, in what universe is a pet _nearly_ as good as my boyfriend?" she asked, one eyebrow raised.

He frowned for a moment and thought it over. "I don't know how to answer that."

"The answer is 'no universe ever.' Come on, what are you thinking?" she said, shaking her head. She squeezed his hand for a moment and let out a breath. "Okay… I probably gotta go face the music with Coulson."

"Maybe I'll see you again," Logan said quietly.

"Oh, you _will_. It's just a matter of getting past AC, and with Scott the Rulebreaker over here, shouldn't be too hard," she teased as she got to her feet. "See you around."

When she got to the door, Scott opened it for her and muttered to her that he'd tell Coulson it was his fault — but they were both surprised when May and Coulson were both waiting for them in front of the big observation mirror. And May was _grinning_. Not her usual subdued smirk, but an outright grin.

"See, this is what happens when you don't listen to me, Phil," she said, gesturing at Scott and Skye. "They have to go out of their way to prove you wrong. And you were so very, very wrong."

"That was reckless," Coulson said, trying to keep his hard line _still._

"Have you _met_ me, AC?" Skye countered. "Seriously?"

"It could have gone _so_ so incredibly badly," Coulson said, shaking his head. "I didn't want you getting caught in the crossfire."

"It was my idea," Scott said. "I was at the door in case things went south."

"It was _not_ your idea. It was _my_ idea. You were just… the delivery man," Skye shot back, shaking her head at him.

May looked more smug and turned to Coulson. "More progress in five minutes than you've had in days. _Days_ , Phil," she said pointedly.

"We'll just have to see if he can keep going," Coulson said finally as he let his shoulders drop and he turned toward Skye. "I'll have Xavier step it up. And … maybe it would be good if you went with. Since he trusts you."

Skye beamed and pumped the air with her fist. "Finally. This will work, AC. I swear."

* * *

 _September 30_

 _Hidden Room in Fury's Hidden Base_

* * *

Fitz and Logan were _almost_ chatting in the little isolation room hidden behind two-way glass. It was a matter of timing and tempering — as the medical staff wanted to at least _try_ to get the stitches that Doctor Strange had needed to put into Logan's cheekbone when he removed the micro tracker. In preparation for the stitch removal, Fitz was waiting with Logan for Simmons to come in. He was spending the time explaining to Logan what the device had been and how it had been removed before he'd gotten up. Of course, Logan had wanted to know how it had been used, and Fitz's silence on the matter was telling enough for him.

So Fitz was sure to try and divert his attention from that and instead tell him about the poison distribution system that they'd removed from his arm as well — as a means to try and reassure him that much of what had gone wrong _wasn't_ him. "It really wasn't anything you could've avoided. It was Hydra at work. They used every dirty, rotten, slimy trick they could find to get you under control," Fitz told him with an actual angry fire in his tone before he drew in a deep breath and tried to clear his head. "I promise, just make your _best effort_ to get through this and I'll _make_ Coulson authorize me to loosen up your restraints," Fitz said. "Xavier said you should be alright if you can deal with medical."

Logan gave him a dry look that made it clear that he didn't buy that for a second, but before he could really argue the point, the door opened gently, and Simmons stepped in. She gave him a little wave with the tips of her fingers, looking nervous herself as she brought in what she needed to remove the stitches. "Can't go too long without poking you," she tried to tease him lightly.

But Logan watched her unblinkingly as she crossed the room, obviously not trusting Simmons one bit. His hands were balled into fists at his sides as she started to set up, and when she finally decided to get down to it, he looked as if he was holding his breath, watching her work and entirely rigid.

She tried to work as quickly and lightly as possible when she saw his reaction and then gave him a tight smile when she was done. "Now. That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"That depends on if you're done or not," Logan answered through clenched teeth.

"All finished," she promised, closing up her bag as proof. "See?"

Logan didn't start to relax though until she'd put the bag far from him, and then only after she and Fitz started chatting back and forth. The two scientists had shifted seamlessly to a discussion on theories about the new energy weapons that Hyra had, like the ones that the soldier who shot Kurt had — the blueish energy was a whole new project for the two of them and, of course, as they always did with a new problem, they were going a mile a minute with each other.

The more they chatted, the more Logan seemed to settle in and zone out, though how much of that was him going to normal and how much of that was him distancing himself, they had no way to know.

Simmons still looked upset about the fact that Logan had been so nervous as the two of them left the isolation room — where the now almost-constant occupants of Scott and Skye were sitting in observation.

"I don't get it," Skye said with her nose wrinkled up as she rushed over to wrap Simmons in a little hug.

"Well, we know that Hydra's medical division was _not_ kind to him," Simmons replied, trying for a smile.

"I know, but you and Fitz are practically joined at the hip," Scott said thoughtfully. "Something must have gotten scrambled, because Fitz seems fine."

"No, no," Fitz said shaking his head as he pulled up Bobbi's notes on his tablet. "Not scrambled. Some of his memories were replaced. But we can fix it." He handed Scott the tablet so he could read down the list. "Brains never _delete_ files, they just lose connections. There's always a back up; it's just a matter of digging until we find them."

"And we haven't hit the right spots yet," Simmons finished with a self-deprecating smile.

"So how do you find the disconnected memories?" Scott asked, honestly curious.

"You just have to watch his reactions," Fitz said. " _We_ know there's no logical reason to react the way he's been reacting to our staff. _He doesn't_. That's when you know you found something that's been fiddled with. I'd imagine it's mostly anything that he doesn't act like himself."

"So that's how you find the memories that need addressing. What then?"

"Different people can get away with different methods," Simmons said. "Charles will simply _ask_ him straight out what the problem is. Fury gets all … frowning and wants to know what they did. Coulson tries to guess and tell him what's really going on. You have to just … try something."

"It's easier if you ask him," Skye said. "He tries to be honest if he knows there's an issue."

"He's more talkative with you," Scott pointed out with a smirk.

"We think that's because Hydra didn't know about her," Fitz said before he let his tone take a dip into ridiculous. " _Think_ of what Lady Hydra would say about the secret lovers." He shook his head and gave Skye a look. "Scandalous."

"That's how it's always been with us," Skye said with a teasing smile. "Or didn't you read the newspapers?"

"You told me they were _trash_ ," Fitz said with a slightly raised voice. "I should have _known_ you were trying to cover your tracks."

"Oh yeah," she laughed outright. "You better keep an eye out, Jemma. I'm a heartbreaker, you know."

"Yes, I'm sure," Simmons said, shaking her head. "Though I have to admit, I do miss the teasing and flirting."

"And the turning Fitz colors," Skye teased. She looped her arm through Simmons'. "Come on. I need a bite to eat. And maybe a little sunlight."

When the girls were gone, Fitz turned to Scott. "If you want a minute, Kurt isn't supposed to be down for another half-hour."

"Sure that's a good idea?" Scott asked with one eyebrow raised.

"As long as you don't try to pick a fight," Fitz replied. "It should be fine."

Scott let out a little breath and nodded. "Alright, but I think Skye would feel better about it if you were on the door. We don't… get along."

"Nonsense," Fitz said. "Besides, Fury said he didn't want him to be left to his own thoughts. Particularly after a medical procedure. Even a small one."

Scott nodded at that, thoughtfully, and keyed in the code to the door, stepping inside to take the usual visitor's seat. But for a good long while, he was quiet. He hadn't had the time to prepare any of the many things he was sure from days of observation needed to be addressed.

Finally, he let out a long breath, leaned forward, and rested his chin on his hands. "I never got around to thanking you," Scott said in a measured, even tone.

Logan frowned and turned his way. "For what?"

"For… all of it." Scott ran a hand over his face. "I don't just mean when you saved my butt back in Twelve, either."

"Forget it, Slim," Logan said, diverting his gaze and looking genuinely out of it.

But Scott shook his head. "Yeah, that's the thing. I can't. I never thanked you for getting me out of Essex's labs, either. Or for the glasses you sent me when I was ready to give up. Never even thanked you for letting us use your place back in Seven." He shook his head again, slower this time. "That's not even counting everything you've done for my family. And I never thanked you."

Logan thought about it for a while, though he didn't say anything right away. "You don't have to," he said.

Scott actually let out a little laugh. "Yeah, right. I guess I still haven't," he said with a little shake of his head.

"Not what I meant. Just … it's not necessary."

"That's the whole point, Logan. Just… shut up. Thank you, alright?"

"Any time," he replied.

Scott shrugged up one shoulder and fell silent again.

Logan leaned back a bit and closed his eyes to give Scott an out. The truth of it was he really didn't know how to take a 'thank you', let alone one that he was tied down and forced to listen to.

So both of them were almost relieved when Kurt came in to take over for Scott, wearing an excited little smile. Scott slipped out the door without a word as Kurt perched more than sat in his place.

"What's got you all … bubbly?" Logan asked. "You finally break into Fury's office and get some whiskey you'd like to share?"

"I may just do that," Kurt said with a little smile. He leaned forward with a sparkle to his eyes. "I've got permission for a little leave tomorrow — just a very quick trip to One to do a little ring shopping."

"Oh? Sounds like someone's gettin' serious," Logan said.

"Well, it's really thanks to you. There wasn't much else I was going to put SHIELD's paychecks toward, considering they feed and house us," Kurt teased.

"And wouldn't exist without you," Logan countered. "So they still owe you."

"I'll keep that in mind when I ask Coulson for permission — and the paperwork — when I get back," Kurt said, still grinning. "You'll be best man, of course."

"Don't you have a brother?" Logan asked, looking a little taken back. "That … would be better — smarter — for this."

"It's _my_ decision," Kurt said, shaking his head. "I thought seriously about making Stefan the ring bearer," he added in a teasing whisper. "He's a bit tall."

"I don't know that I'm getting out of here, Elf," Logan admitted quietly. "And if I do, it'll probably just be to go in a cell."

Kurt waved his hand. "Of course you're getting out. We have time. Kate and I aren't getting married tomorrow or anything. I haven't even proposed yet."

"Still think you're being wildly optimistic," he countered.

"What, you don't think she'll say yes?" Kurt shot back.

"I'm sure she will," Logan replied.

"Then I don't see the problem here," Kurt said. "I'd like a proper wedding, and that will take time to prepare…"

Logan half tried to pick up his hand. "I'm not making forward motion here. And I'm probably the least qualified for the job."

Kurt shook his head. "The position of best man goes to the groom's best friend. That's how it should be, and that is you."

"Coulson said I tried to kill you three."

"Yes, you did," Kurt said. "Don't do that."

"I don't remember it," he said. "Nothing to stop it from happening again."

Kurt paused and let out a breath. "We know what caused it, _mein Freund_. There was a phrase… and I can promise you it's not one you'll hear at a wedding. You're fine."

"Charlie said there was a lot of those," Logan said quietly.

"He also said that those are easy enough to deal with," Kurt said. "Relatively speaking." He leaned forward with a smile. "This is still miles better than how things were two weeks ago when you were gone. And you say there's been no progress," he scoffed.

"Pretty sure everyone had a lot better things to spend their time on than babysitting," he argued.

"No," Kurt said, shaking his head. "We're all exactly where we _want_ to be. Let Fury and Hill worry over where they _think_ we need to be, but we've often pointed out — we are free agents, not slaves of SHIELD."

Logan tipped his head lightly and let out a breath.

Kurt cleared his throat and straightened up, drawing Logan with him as he redirected the conversation. "So ... I can trust you not to tell Kate, _ja_?"

"I don't know nothin' about nothin'," Logan agreed.

Kurt grinned that much wider. "I would have loved to take you with me to One," he admitted. "But I didn't want to wait any longer."

"And you don't need a trouble magnet for that," Logan added.

"But I do need a friend," Kurt said. "I've asked Kitty to come with me, actually."

"You should get Petey too," Logan said.

Kurt grinned crookedly. "Pete is in charge of keeping Kate busy."

"Good," Logan replied with a little nod. "Let me know when it happens."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll know. If I don't get here, Kate will," Kurt said, still grinning.


	14. The Best of Intentions

**Chapter 14: The Best of Intentions**

* * *

 _October 1_

 _District One_

* * *

"I can't believe it took you so _long_ ," Kitty giggled delightedly. She had her arm draped over Kurt's shoulders as the two of them climbed off the little jet into District One.

"Well, I did have other concerns recently," Kurt pointed out with a soft smile.

"Yeah, _okay_ , but you know _Steve_ —"

" _Katzchen_." Kurt shook his head at his friend, unable to stop the smile. "It is _not_ a race."

Kitty grinned that much wider and shook her head at him. "If you say so," she said, though her tone clearly said that she thought otherwise.

Kurt had to shake his head at her antics before he turned his attention to the streets of the district. "Well," said Kurt. "Now we wander, I guess."

They started off downtown, right in the heart of the tall buildings. They passed plenty of upscale shopping centers and lots of jewelry stores, but they did little more than window-browse after the clerk in the first store told them that "This establishment might be somewhat out of your price range." The glare he gave them, though, told them that it was definitely not all about the prices. Apparently, there was more than a little animosity still for rebel forces. As they drew further from the center of town, the buildings got shorter, the clothes because less opulent, and the faces friendlier.

Kurt was about to suggest they head back into the center of the city and try to find a friendlier salesperson when a small store caught his eye. Jewelry hung in the window, along with other items, but the signs were hand-printed, and the place had a welcoming air about it. He made for the door. Inside, the shop was a stark contrast to the stores in town — cluttered and dim but not depressing, more comforting. A bell over the door jangled as the trio entered.

"Hello?" a woman's voice called from a back room. "I'll be right out!" There was a rustling noise, and a woman came through the doorway. She was older, with deep brown hair beginning to turn gray and small smile wrinkles around her eyes. "What can I do for you?" she asked, tilting her head and taking in their definitely-not-One-citizen looks.

Kurt took a few paces forward, glancing around the shop. "I'm, um, looking for an engagement ring."

The woman clapped her hands together in front of her. "How _lovely_! Congratulations!" She hurried to a counter filled with pendants, rings, and bracelets. "Did you have anything specific in mind?"

"Well, she — my girlfriend — doesn't like things to be too fancy, so nothing too gaudy or big. And she loves purple; it's her absolute favorite color."

The woman looked thoughtful for a moment before bending down and opening the back of the counter. She ran her fingers over a couple small trays of rings, selecting a few as she went. "Why don't you come take a look at these?" she asked, beckoning Kurt over. He obliged as she set the rings down on the counter.

He looked at the four rings that lay on the counter. All of them had bright purple stones. One had three tiny stones in a row, two purple gemstones surrounding a third that looked more like a polished rock. Kurt picked it up.

"Ah, that one's a beauty," the woman said in appreciation. "The gemstones are purple sapphires, and the middle rock is a stone called bird's eye rhyolite."

Kurt nearly dropped the ring. "You're kidding."

The woman looked slightly confused. "No, it comes from a place south of Marvel."

Kurt laughed slightly. "No, it's just... my girlfriend... we call her Hawkeye as a… a nickname, so this just seems too perfect for her."

The woman smiled in understanding. "It does indeed. Do you think you'd like to look at anything else or…"

"No, it's perfect. Thank you," said Kurt. The woman held out her hand. "I can package this up a little for you so you don't lose it, if you'd like." Kurt gave her the ring and followed her around to an antique-looking register. "If I may ask," the woman said as she took a small velvet ring box out from under the counter, "Do you have a date set to ask this Hawkeye for her hand?"

"Ah, not yet," Kurt admitted.

The woman raised an eyebrow at that, but Kitty stepped in from where she'd been watching one of her closest friends get more and more excited to take his arm and grin. "He'll get right on that," she told the woman as they made their way out — and she waited only long enough for the door to close behind them before she let out a delighted squeal and threw her arms around Kurt's shoulders.

"It's so _perfect_ ," she giggled delightedly.

"It really is," he had to agree before he swept her up in another hug, spinning her around before he planted a kiss on her forehead. "This is really happening."

"Yep." She beamed at him. "You ready to be a married mister, Kurt?"

"I honestly think I am."

* * *

 _October 2_

 _Fury's Secret Base_

* * *

Kurt had everything set. The ring was in his room, and all that was left was the official stuff. But even disregarding the paperwork, he did want to do a few more things…. He stopped outside, took a few deep breaths to compose himself, and before he could lose his nerve, he knocked.

"Come in," Coulson called from inside, and Kurt did as he was beckoned. "I was surprised to see your request on my schedule, Mr. Wagner, especially since you know you can usually find me with our mutual friend. Is there something I can help you with?"

Kurt sat down in one of the chairs in front of Coulson's desk, slowly and gingerly. He twisted his hands in front of him. "Well, I, uh… you know how Kate and I… we've been dating for a while, and we, um…" Kurt swallowed thickly, and Coulson folded his hands in front of him with a patient smile and a twinkle in his eye. "Well, we've been together around two years… you know, depending on how you define it and how much you account for rule-breaking... and I was thinking about the way we feel about each other, and I figured I should come to you first because you're kind of the, uh… you've become like a father to a lot of the kids here."

Coulson's expression turned incredibly warm, and the smile he wore was genuine. "That's honestly the best thing anyone's said to me since I took this job," he said with a smile now permanently fixed.

"I'm glad that you feel that way, sir. Because I, um… IwannaaskKatetomarryme." The words came out in a rush, and Kurt was worried for a moment that Coulson hadn't understood him — or worse, that he'd shoot him down.

Coulson studied Kurt for a long time, the twinkle still in his eye. "Are you asking my permission, Kurt?" he asked. "As an agent — or as a friend to Kate?"

"I just figured... because it's traditional to ask the father... and Kate's real father is dead..." Kurt stammered, a red blush spreading from the tips of his ears.

Coulson chuckled a bit, though he did try to respect the sincerity of the situation as he nodded. "Well then, as a… father… I'll just ask you this: you're going to treat her well, aren't you?"

Kurt let out a laugh that was more like a huff of air from relief, a wide smile on his face. "Yes, sir, I promise."

"Well, that's good enough for Phil Coulson," he said. "And as an agent… I'll have to file paperwork on your behalf. But I'll handle that." He was grinning now. "And you should know it's generally frowned upon, Mr. Wagner, to marry your teammate. I should probably tell you that. As an agent." The grin was getting wider.

"And as your operative, I'll take that into consideration, sir."

"I'm sure you will." Coulson chuckled to himself some more and shook his head. "Well, then, Kurt. I suppose congratulations are in order," he said as he stood, moving around the table to Kurt with his hand outstretched.

Kurt grasped the hand, and then, surprising both himself and Coulson, pulled the man into a brief hug, which Coulson hesitatingly returned. "I'm sorry, that was a little unprofessional," Kurt said, the blush returning in full force as he stepped back.

Coulson seemed to consider Kurt for a moment with a smile before he simply reached out and ruffled Kurt's hair affectionately. "Yes, I suppose I was for a moment there, too," he said afterward, folding his hands neatly in front of him with a smirk. He straightened a bit and put on a more patient, professional smile, though his eyes were still twinkling, as he said, "Will that be all, Mr. Wagner?"

"Yes, sir," Kurt said, straightening as well. "That's all." With the grin still shining on his face, he turned and headed out of the office.

* * *

Later that day, Kurt poked his head into Clint's room. "Hey, Clint?" he asked.

"Hey, Kurt. What's up?" Clint asked, looking up from the arrows he'd been taping and labeling.

"I was wondering if you'd consider a little bit of fencing in the training room?" Kurt asked.

Clint grinned at him crookedly. "You need a partner?" he asked. "All the good swordsmen taken?"

"Something like that," Kurt replied.

"Well, okay. Don't see why not." Clint got up and carefully put the tape somewhere he knew he could find it when he returned. "Can't say no to that."

The two headed for the training center, though there was no mistaking the crooked grin Clint kept giving Kurt that had the younger man suspicious that Clint had some idea of what was going on as he opened the door and motioned Kurt inside with a slight bow and a muttered, "After you, master swordsman."

Inside, Clint found some swords of his own, and the two stepped onto the mat.

"Ooh, trying a dual-wield, are we?" Kurt teased.

"I saw you destroy a guy who just had one. Plus, I'm left-handed. Gotta keep up the right muscles." Clint shrugged easily. "I don't like being overbalanced one way or the other."

"It's good practice," said Kurt, dropping easily into a fighting stance. Clint did the same before Kurt lunged with the first strike.

Clint blocked his strike with one sword and brought the other under the crossed blades for a low strike. Kurt danced away, parrying the tip of Clint's sword as he moved. The attacks quickly became faster, the two fairly flying around the mat as they fenced. Clint held his own for a good three minutes before he began lagging, his moves becoming more desperate until Kurt knocked one of his blades from his hand and stepped around him smoothly, poking Clint in the back.

"Not bad," Kurt said, scooping Clint's fallen sword from the ground and returning it to him. Both boys were panting, but Clint more than Kurt.

"Like I said, you're miles ahead of me, Kurt," Clint said through his breaths. "But I'll take 'not bad.'" The two boys headed for a water break, dropping to sit on a bench. They were silent, save for their panting, before Kurt spoke.

"So, um… I didn't just get you in here to fence," he said. "I need to talk to you about something."

Clint turned slightly to face the younger boy. "Okay, what's up?"

"Well… Kate sees you as a brother, you know?" Kurt began, thinking it would be best to try the same route he had with Coulson.

"Kate has very bad taste. But yeah, she's like the obnoxious little sister I never wanted," Clint said easily. "What, she giving you trouble?"

"No! No, not at all," Kurt said. "But I wanted to… um… get your permission. I want to… to ask Kate to marry me," Kurt said, managing to separate the words a little better this time.

Clint looked at Kurt, and a slow, sloppy grin spread over his face. "You're asking me... in the presence of pointy objects…" He started to laugh. "Brave man."

"In hindsight, maybe it wasn't such a good idea," Kurt admitted. "But I figured it was better than waltzing into your room and just flat-out asking."

Clint was still laughing, and he shook his head again. "No, you thought you'd duel me for her," he said, grinning.

Kurt buried his face in his hands, elbows propped on his knees. "Oh, this is not quite going how I planned…"

Still chortling but no longer laughing outright, Clint clapped Kurt on the shoulder, and Kurt looked up. "No, no, it's good. It's… Yeah, sure, Kurt. You can marry her. That's the best idea I've heard all day." He grinned. "You're brave enough to ask. I say as long as she says yes, I'll dig up the priest myself if I have to."

"Thank you, Clint," Kurt said, wrapping the blond boy in a one-armed hug, which Clint returned with surprising enthusiasm.

When Clint released Kurt, he burst into another fit of laughter before he asked, "So… does that make you a hawk, or is she taking your name?"

"That's entirely up to her, but it does have a nice ring to it... Kate Wagner," Kurt mused.

Clint chuckled some more. "You'll figure it out." He shook his head, still grinning. "Just do me a favor — don't go and propose while I'm on a mission or something. Then I rescind permission. That's just mean."

"You've got my word," said Kurt.

Clint clapped him on the shoulder once more. "You be good to Katie. I don't want to hear about anything I gotta step in and stop."

"I hope the past two years provide _some_ indication of what our relationship is like," replied Kurt. "But I promise."

Clint grinned. "Now we just gotta get her to promise that too, huh? She's the one to worry about. Ridiculous kid."

Kurt nodded in agreement. "So. Up for another round?"

"Well, yeah, now that you've got me at a disadvantage — gotta try not to stab Katie's future out of her hands," Clint teased him before Kurt helped him to his feet, and the two of them resumed their swordplay.

* * *

 _October 4_

 _Secret Room in Fury's Secret Base_

* * *

It had taken some serious wheedling and poking, but Coulson got everything squared away so that Jubilee could see her Wolvie.

Skye had warned her that he had been in rough shape after Hydra got a hold of him. But it was one thing to hear it and another thing entirely to see Logan in that room in the shape he was in. She put her hand over her mouth, eyes wide, and rushed to the mirrored glass.

"He's actually better than he's been," Scott said quietly, and Jubilee turned to see that her other former tribute was sitting quietly in the corner.

"That's _better_?" she asked, gesturing toward the room on the other side of the glass. Her victor had lost _so_ much weight, and he looked… drained.

"It really is," Scott said in more of a sigh than anything else — because he knew what Jubilee didn't: Logan wasn't restrained at all. Scott got up and keyed in the code and shot Jubilee a little smile as he gestured for the door. "Go ahead — it's a good day to visit."

Jubilee nodded, bouncing slightly on her way into the room, but the door hadn't even shut behind her before she took off at a run and simply _threw_ her arms around Logan's neck in the biggest hug she could manage.

The hug took Logan off-guard — but not as much as the fact that she'd positively bowled him over and didn't let go.

" _You_ are so skinny," she said as she snuggled into him. "And you need a _haircut_!"

"Take it up with Hydra," Logan replied before he curled up with her, returning the snuggle and holding on to her just as tightly.

"Don't think I won't!" she warned. "Green is _so_ not your color."

"No kidding," he agreed. "How'd you get in here?"

"I bugged Agent Coulson, like, every single day. And just about everybody else in a SHIELD uniform that I could get my hands on." She drew herself up. "I'm _very_ convincing."

"Of course you are," he agreed with a little smirk.

She grinned at him and gave him another little snuggle. "So, when are you getting out of here, anyway? Because you _so_ need to be around for a few very, very crucial things at the end of the month, mister."

"Yeah, like what?" he asked. "I don't think my chances are real good for your timeline."

"Well, step it up, mister, because I'm getting married on Halloween, and you _will_ be there."

"Of course you are," he replied, shaking his head.

"It's going to be perfect. Everyone will have decorated masks," she said, grinning widely.

"You just want to put everyone in costume," he pointed out.

"There's nothing wrong with that," she countered. "I have one for you too. It's yellow."

"Of course it is," he said before he leaned back against the wall. "What else could it be?"

"Mine is yellow too," she said, the grin widening.

"With hot pink, right?"

"All the way around the edges," she said with a little nod. "And Noh's is white with light green around the edges."

"You're gonna clash."

"We _never_ clash," she said, lightly punching his arm. "It looks amazing. There are little sparkly stars."

"That's great, Jubes, hardly bored at all."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Okay, but the _point_ is that you _have_ to be there. Who else could walk me down to my sparkly prince?"

Logan stared at her for a moment. "You're kiddin' me, right?"

"Um. Do I _look_ like I'm kidding you?" she asked, one hand on her hip.

"Maybe," he said slowly.

"You need to get your eyes checked," she said, shaking her head. "I was _not_ kidding, and you are _absolutely_ gonna be there. And you have to dance with me, too. It's a _requirement._ "

"I'll do what I can," he promised.

She grinned at him and nodded. "It's still a few weeks away. Time enough to get a haircut and _shave_ ," she teased.

When she reached up to brush his hair out of his face, he blocked her hand a little quicker than what was friendly. "Don't … don't touch."

She paused, her mouth parted in an 'o' shape as she blinked at him. "Oh… alright, you can style it yourself I _guess_ ," she said, trying to brush it off with a smile before she wrapped him up in a hug all over again.

It took him a few moments before he could relax enough to return it, but when he did, he snuggled her under his chin and held her tight. "Can always knock me out if you have to."

"I could too," she teased. "I've been training. Gotta keep up with my Wolvie."

"Yeah," he replied, nodding, his tone much more subdued. "Though I doubt it's hard right now."

She straightened up and grinned at him. "I stole your sparring partner, by the way. Seeing as Skye knows some of your dirty tricks. _I_ am teaching _her_ , I'll have you know."

"As long as you're gettin' better and not just pickin' at each other."

"You underestimate how good we are at multitasking."

"Where's your future husband?"

"Well, he's with Kurt," Jubilee said. "They're filling out legal forms, and he speaks multisyllabic Capitol form lingo."

"Fun," he replied. "So … you got your bossing out of your system. Now what?"

"Well, I got my Wolvie snuggles… I told you about the wedding… I dunno. What do people normally do when they come see you?"

"Get irritated and leave."

"That's a dirty lie. I know for a fact you've had Skye and Kurt and all the other awesomes in here."

"Chased most of 'em off at least once too." He gave her a little look. "Word's getting out finally that I'm a jackass."

"Well, that is just wrong. Whoever is spreading vicious lies about _my_ Wolvie is gonna get it."

"Not a lie," Logan replied before he leaned back a little further. "And I'm too tired to fight you on it."

"Then don't fight me on it," she decided with a little nod. "Easiest thing for both of us."

Logan pulled her over to let her snuggle up a little more as she started telling him about all the details of the upcoming wedding and all of the designs that the stylists had come up with for Baby Xavier.


	15. Proposal in the Snow

**Chapter 15: Proposal in the Snow**

* * *

 _October 7_

 _Hidden Room in Fury's Hidden Base_

* * *

Scott didn't glance up from the small notebook he'd been scribbling in when the door opened, but when he wasn't immediately joined by Skye or mobbed by Jubilee, he did finally look up to see who it was. "Oh, hey, Professor," he said with a nod before he went back to what he was doing.

"Do we have another artist on our hands?" Charles asked. "Steve Rogers is something of a talent."

"Ah, no." Scott flushed and shook his head. "Drawing… no. I _can_ carve, though."

"Then perhaps we should find you some carving tools," Charles said with a friendly smile as he came over to take a seat near Scott.

"That would be nice," he said with a nod. "I have a couple projects in mind, but I haven't done it in so long…" He shrugged. "Do you want me to leave so you can have a little privacy?" he asked, gesturing toward the room where Logan was.

"How is he doing today?" Charles asked.

"Bored," Scott said with a shrug. "There's only so much you can do in one room, and he's never been an indoors kind of guy anyway. He was hardly at his own place in Seven as it was."

"Well, I'm afraid there's not much we can do about that until he isn't so reactive at odd times."

"It's not odd," Scott said. "You just have to find the pattern. Fitz mentioned something about connections…" He glanced down at his notebook and flipped through a few pages. "It starts to make sense after a while, actually."

"What have you found?" Charles asked, genuinely interested not only in Scott's findings but in how the boy was pulling it together.

"Just patterns," Scott said with a shrug. He pushed the notebook Charles' way to show him the meticulous notes in small handwriting. "I don't think I could speak to the full reasoning behind it… I'll leave that to the experts. I know he doesn't react well to anyone he considers an 'agent,' except Skye. And Fitz ... but Simmons is iffy."

"She's a doctor," Charles explained.

"It's more than that," Scott said.

Charles thought it over for a moment before he drew in a breath and nodded to himself. "But you say he's alright with Fitz?"

"He is," Scott said.

"He's taking issue with people that have operated on him."

"That's what I was thinking," Scott said quietly. "Though I thought Fitz was involved with those claws — I mean, he's the one with the bracelets."

"He was. He designed the claws, but Simmons was the one to put them in," Charles said. "And … she was the one to work out the biochemistry side of it. There was a long series of shots and months of blood draws after the fact." He tipped his head to the side for a moment. "He wasn't happy with it at all."

"That would do it." Scott let out a breath as he leaned back. "There's also a few gestures and phrases," he said, flipping to a few other pages now that he had an interested audience. He had a concentrated sort of frown on as he added, "And… most of them have to do with, well, ownership. Pets." He paused. "He's used that phrase a few times."

Charles frowned for a moment. "That wasn't in any of the notes from Bobbi."

"Yeah, I know; I read them," Scott said. "But I'm telling you: he's used that phrase with just about everyone when he talks about his relationship to… anyone. Even if it's not directly about himself."

Charles thought it over, frowning deeper. "That might be a troublesome thing to deal with," Charles admitted. "Before it was known — what was going on here — there were several people that referred to what he was doing with Fury that way. Fury's Pet Project."

"Well that's just making things worse," Scott muttered. "He's already wary of Fury because of the claws, not to mention his aversion to SHIELD in general."

"Because SHIELD didn't protect the victors — or the tributes," Charles replied.

"Yeah, I think I'd be tired too if I thought I had that many people to take care of on my own," Scott muttered.

"He started early," Charles laughed.

"I wouldn't know. By the time I met him, he was helping my parents adopt the whole of District Seven," Scott said dryly.

"I'll bet if you asked Mac, he'd started sooner than that," Charles replied.

"Probably," Scott agreed. He let out a sigh and leaned back. "I've been trying to figure out how to tell him it's alright to take a break without him taking it as an excuse to _stop_. Everyone's been coming in here telling him what they want."

"They're trying to give him something to look forward to," Charles said gently. "I'm sure they don't mean it that way."

"Oh, I know." Scott shrugged. "Everyone that comes in here is a good friend. Well. Fury notwithstanding." He smirked quietly to himself and shook his head.

"I think if you were granted the chance to see Fury in action with Logan, you'd see that he considers him a friend as well."

"His pet project," Scott said, one eyebrow raised.

"It started that way, yes," Charles conceded. "But then he got to know the boy."

"Yeah, the first time I met him, they were yelling at each other. Must be how he shows his affection," Scott said with a little smirk.

Charles smiled softly and turned to watch Logan for a while. "I believe if you think about it, you'd be able to identify how he shows affection. With Fury, he has always felt that honesty was the best policy and that 'holding back causes cancer', as he put it one day."

"Most of it's just picking, from what I've seen, even with Skye," Scott said. "Except Jubes. She tackled him."

"She what?" Charles asked, eyebrows high on his head.

"I wouldn't recommend it for anyone else, but speaking from experience, you can't stop Jubes," Scott said with a shrug.

"And he didn't react negatively?"

"No, just hugged her right back. The only issue he had was when she tried to mess with his hair, but…" Scott went back to the notebook. "That's not new either, it's just the most outright reaction… he's been protecting his head…."

Charles had to smile at Scott. "Anything else that he's got as a major trigger?"

"That's the biggest thing I've seen — that and the ownership issues," Scott said with a shrug. "I've been trying to take notes for possible missing connections where memories are concerned… It's easier if it's Skye or someone he trusts…"

"I've found that most of his issues with his memory have been related to Director Fury."

"Yeah, once I heard the claws were his idea, that fell into place. There are a few issues with Coulson and Hill, too, though."

"And he's much more concerned about needles being anywhere near him, but Bobbi's notes explain that."

"Yeah, the medical aversion isn't really a surprise," Scott agreed.

"Have you noticed he won't take anything to drink unless it's a sealed bottle?" Charles asked, testing Scott's observational skills.

"He tests the seal himself," Scott said. "Listens for the pop."

"Scott, I'd like very much if you continued to keep track of things," Charles said. "You've given me much to work with already."

"Of course," Scott said, looking honestly relieved to hear it. "I'll be here. It's easier to see the patterns if it's just one person observing anyway, and it's not like I'm part of Tahiti. I've got the time to spare."

"It might be helpful while I'm working with him as well, so … if you don't mind?"

"Sure," Scott said with a nod. "Whatever you need, Professor."

* * *

 _October 11_

 _Fury's Hidden Base_

* * *

When Skye ducked into Logan's room, she had a present for him — a new tablet, which had apps designed with the faces of every member of Team Awesome as well as Skye and Jubilee.

"I've been informed I actually have a job that I have to do," she said brightly.

"Been wondering when you'd remember that," Logan replied.

"Well, I didn't remember it — Coulson _informed_ me," Skye said. "And don't think that means I'm going to forget about you either. I've got you all set up." She all but shoved the tablet his way. "Just tap somebody's face to chat. It's not as good as in-person, but…" She shrugged lightly. "It'll work for now."

"What if I don't wanna chat?"

"Then you can ignore it," Skye said. "But that just means I'll come find you at the end of the day and read you everything you've ignored from me with the 'you have betrayed me' look."

"See, now I wanna find out how long you can keep the look up," he said. "And your texts are much funnier when Noh reads them."

"That's because Noh doesn't read them with the proper… expressiveness," she said, then paused. "I mean, he's expressive, but like, the whole other kind of expressive."

"I don't know about that. You haven't seen it," he said.

"I've met him. It is not hard to imagine the very dramatic reading." She grinned at him before she gently leaned over to kiss his cheek. "Gotta one-up Jubes. I've been hearing stories about snuggles. You are _stepping out_ on me."

"She tackled me; I had no choice in the matter."

She seemed to size him up for a moment. "Well now I want to tackle you too, but…"

"But you gotta get to work, ya bum." He shooed her with one hand. "Go on. Not like I'm goin' anywhere."

She smirked at him and then very quickly kissed his cheek again. "See you after work," she said with a grin — and it was only _maybe_ five minutes after that before she sent her first message his way: _Testing one two don't make me make disappointed faces._

He glanced at the message and considered simply tossing it to the bed... but just before he did, he narrowed his eyes and replied with an all caps _UNDELIVERABLE._

 _You're so funny_ , came the response.

 _Get to work, you bum. You're never going to be director screwing around like this._

 _No, but screwing around sounds fun._

Logan had to chuckle at that but just shook his head. _You're not up to an audience. They're probably taping too._

 _Oooh good point. Later, then._

* * *

 _October 17_

 _Fury's Hidden Base_

* * *

Kurt had honestly been thinking about waiting for something special. His birthday, maybe; he didn't know if he could make it to Kate's. But he didn't think he could wait any longer, and it was getting to a point where Kurt couldn't get to sleep. He stayed up with a lamp on in his room, turning the ring over and over in his fingers, watching the jewels twinkle.

Finally, in the few hours before dawn, his tiredness got the better of him and he dozed off, the ring still closed in one fist. He still managed to wake up before most of the other kids, too. When he awoke, he had a moment of panic when he realized the ring had slipped out of his grasp during the night, but he found it when he swung his feet out of bed and his toe landed on it. He placed it back in the small velvet box and dressed hurriedly before tucking the box into his sweatshirt pocket, where it would be less noticeable.

Predictably, the only other one at breakfast was Bruce, who had probably already gotten in a full workout. Bruce smiled at Kurt from where he was working on a bagel, and there was an uncharacteristic twinkle in his eye.

"Did you have a good time yesterday — and at the party last night?" he asked as Kurt began gathering his food.

"Yeah," Kurt said with a grin. "Definitely."

"And...any… big plans for today?" Bruce asked, raising one eyebrow with a smirk.

Kurt wasn't quite sure how to respond. "I mean… I'm…"

Bruce winked at him. "Good luck with whatever it is you might get up to," he said. At Kurt's helpless expression, he chuckled. "Clint's been making terrible jokes for days." He finished the last bites of his bagel and stood up with his plate. He threw his garbage away and came over to Kurt, clapping him on the shoulder. "Seriously, good luck. It's going to go fine."

"That's the hope, anyway," Kurt said, nodding Bruce's way as the older boy left — likely to go find his own green-skinned stylist.

Kurt was joined soon, though, by Peter and Kate. Kate fixed herself a mug of coffee and plopped down on the bench next to Kurt, on the same side as the ring in his pocket. Kurt was suddenly _very_ aware of how close her hip was to touching the lump in his pocket, but Kate was only focused on her coffee. He very subtly shifted the material of his jacket so that Kate wasn't in any danger of touching the box.

Peter sat down across from them. "Good morning, you two," he said, a twinkle annoyingly similar to Bruce's in his eye. Kate mumbled a response and took a sip of her coffee before leaning her head on Kurt's shoulder. Kurt eyed Peter, unsure if he was going to take the same route as Bruce. Even with Kate in her morning fog, she was bound to pick up on the humor in Peter's voice.

"Morning," Kurt replied. "Sleep well?"

"Like a baby," Peter said. "How about you?"

"I… was up for a bit," said Kurt casually.

Peter grinned. Oh yes, he knew exactly what was going on. "Hmm. That's too bad. Hope you're not too tired to do anything exciting today."

Kurt prodded him with his foot under the table. _Don't ruin this_ , he mouthed. Peter held up a hand in defeat and was, surprisingly, only marginally close to spoiling the surprise - but it looked like Kate was too tired to notice. Kurt was sure to elbow his friend in the ribs and shoot him a look on their way to the training room for it, but Peter just grinned that much wider for it.

When they arrived at the training room, Kate gave Kurt a quick kiss on the cheek before she made her way across the room, and Peter, looking concerned, said, "Wait — wait a minute. She's leaving and there's not any—"

Kurt elbowed him harder and knocked the wind right out of him.

Kate turned and gave them both a look. "Be- _have_ , honestly, you two," she teased, but Kurt was grinning as the three of them split ways.

Though… it looked like the secret was well and truly _out_ if the look on Matt Murdock's face was anything to go by.

"Don't you even say anything," Kurt joked as he stepped onto the mat.

"I was just going to point out that your heart rate is oddly fast for just getting to training. Nervous for something?" Matt asked innocently.

"I'm pretty sure you know very well what," Kurt said as he stepped into his ready stance.

Matt chuckled and did the same. "I won't pretend that I haven't heard the rumors floating around." He began one of the routines with a high kick to Kurt's ribs.

Kurt blocked it. "From Clint, I'm guessing?" He lashed out with a strike that could have broken Matt's nose if it hadn't been blocked.

"He seems to be the source. I'm guessing he's pretty clued in on your big plans?"

"Yeah."

Matt chuckled. "Hopefully, he's kept it out of the ears of your girl?"

"As far as I can tell. Peter was trying pretty hard to see how close he could get this morning, though," Kurt admitted as he ducked one of Matt's punches.

"So… I'm assuming no date set for the wedding yet — what about a priest? Unless you're planning on one of those town hall weddings," Matt said with a grin.

"Hadn't really thought about it," Kurt replied. "But I get the feeling I know where you're going, and I wholeheartedly agree."

"I think Father Lantom would be happy to help out," Matt said as they finished the routine. "He's got something of a soft spot for you, I think."

Kurt went for one of the water bottles that were always in the training center. "That's nice to hear. I was hoping he hadn't forgotten about me. I certainly remembered him."

Matt smirked at that, though they abandoned the conversation as the sparring picked up. By the time they morning was out, Kurt was sticky with sweat and had to change and shower before he'd even think about going to find Kate.

When he hit the girls' quarters, it looked like Kate had the same idea, dressed in jeans and a purple shirt and jacket, and he had to take a moment to steel his nerves before he called out to her and caught up.

She beamed when she saw him. "Hey!"

"Hey yourself," Kurt said, grinning as he pulled an arm around her waist. "Did you see the snow last night?"

She grinned and nodded. "Skye was saying something about how she hoped we got snowed in," she teased.

"Well, we didn't… but it's a spectacular view out there," he said. "Want to take a walk outside with me?"

She grinned and nodded, stepping in closer to him as he rested his hand on hers.

It was just as Kurt had said — the snow was freshly fallen, but it was already starting to warm up on the sunny day after the snowfall, and it shimmered off the snow. They climbed out onto the roof together until they were standing side by side, quietly looking out over the winter wonderland.

"I know Hydra's got that facial recognition stuff out looking for us, but… I really, _really_ want to go climbing now," Kate said as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Maybe soon," Kurt said with a little nod. "After all, we've taken the Capitol… it can't be long now."

"Optimistic Elf," she said with a contented little sigh as she snuggled into him.

Kurt grinned her way for a long time, his hand in his pocket as he once again tried to steel his nerves. "Well, I'd like to think I have a lot to look forward too," he said, then corrected himself, "I'd like to think _we_ have a lot to look forward too." He closed his eyes and dropped Kate's hands, reaching into his pocket before he knelt in the snow, and Kate's eyes widened as he pulled the box from his pocket and snapped it open. "Kate, would you—"

Kate didn't wait long enough to let Kurt get that entire sentence out before she tackled him to the ground and kissed him. When their lips broke apart, she was grinning, and there was a moment of silence before she said, "Oh! Right. You need a yes, right?" She kissed him again and then said, "That's 'yes,' by the way."

Kurt wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tight against him. "I figured as much." He squirmed slightly. "And not that I don't love your tacklehugs, but there's snow going down my back. Would you mind—" Kate scrambled off him and pulled him to his feet. Kurt plucked the ring from the box and held it out. Kate offered her hand, and Kurt slid the ring onto her finger, then grabbed her and kissed her again.

There was a whistle from behind them, and they broke apart to see Clint leaning against the doorway that led back into the bunker. He clapped loudly, grinning like a loon.

Kurt shook his head. "I'm assuming you're not the only one out here," he called.

Clint grinned and pointed, and Kurt saw a grinning America Chavez already running across the distance. She'd apparently been waiting only long enough until it wouldn't be _too_ much of an interruption, and once again, Kurt found himself on his back in the snow as she tackled them both. She was yelling something congratulatory, but it was hard to tell when Kate was shrieking with laughter beside him.

The crunching of several feet through the snow and the laughter of several more people drifted closer. Kurt lifted his head and peeked around America to see that almost all of the Tahiti program was headed their way. Even Natasha was there, with an honest grin on her face.

"How many people knew about this?" Kate asked, slightly muffled, as she and Kurt were buried in the massive hug that followed.

"Technically," Clint said, "Peter, Kitty, and I were in on it… and that's just the ones I know… but I might have dropped a few hints that something pretty spectacular would be happening out here when I saw you two head out."

"It wasn't hard to figure out," Gwen pointed out. "Your face… Clint's hints… It was just a matter of using our brains," she teased.

"Well, I'm glad Clint was able to refrain from outright _telling_ Kate," said Kurt. "I was a little worried about Pete, too."

"I never would have _actually_ told," Peter complained.

"He's a good friend," Kate said. "Taking care of your secrets." She kissed Kurt's cheek and then examined the ring. "It's so purple. I love it."

"The middle stone is called bird's eye rhyolite," Kurt said with a grin. "It was fate."

"You're _kidding_."

"Not one bit."

"I've told you you're the best, right? It bears repeating."

Kurt smiled at her. "I try."

It took the two of them over an hour to get through all of the congratulations and well-wishers — and everyone wanted to see the ring and to know if they'd set a date. But finally, with the help of Natasha and Luke tag-teaming to practically strong-arm people away from them, they got back into the base and all the way down to where Logan was.

Kate brushed past Scott — she and the others who had visited often had the code memorized at this point anyway — and all but _ran_ into the room, the huge grin on her face unmistakable. And Kurt was following her, looking incredibly pleased.

" _Guess what_ ," Kate called out to Logan brightly.

"You have a new favorite color," Logan replied without missing a beat.

"You are so wrong," Kate said before she took a few running steps and wrapped Logan up in a hug. "We're _engaged_ ," she whispered in his ear through the hug.

He turned his head her way with a little frown. "You little liar," he accused her.

She pulled back, shook her head, and grinned even wider as she held up her left hand for him to see.

On seeing the ring, he started to smile before he picked her up in a tight bear hug. "Well, it's about damn time. Did you ask him?"

"Please," Kurt broke in, halfway laughing at how _well_ Logan was feigning ignorance about the whole thing. "I asked her."

Logan set her down and turned Kurt's way. "Good. Congrats. And like I said — about damn time."

"You said it," Kate agreed, grinning widely. "So you're coming, right? I mean… we don't have a date yet. Probably after we're not all hidden away in nowheresville…"

"As long as I'm not locked up, sure," Logan replied.

"I'm sure we can get special permission — and I'm sure it won't last that long," Kurt said, then quickly amended, "The part where you're locked up. Not the engagement."

"Right. 'We'll see' is the official stance."

"But you're coming to Jubilee and Noh's," Kurt pointed out. "She's been telling everyone that's the case."

"If that works out, I'm sure it won't be like she imagines it."

"No matter," Kurt said with a wave and a shrug. "Nothing will be as glittery as those two would like — and besides, it's the marriage, not the wedding, that matters."

"Not … what I mean, but sure," Logan said before he crossed the room to take a seat and watch Kate continue to bounce.

"Ooh, when they do get married and throw the bouquet, you know who we should get next?" Kate said in a teasing whisper. " _Billy_. If Jubes doesn't, I'll smack him square in the forehead with mine."

Peter looked almost relieved as he took a seat too — he was waiting for the hints to start dropping with all the wedding talk. "Yes. That … that is a solid plan. I approve of this plan."

"I'm sure you'll help, Pete," Kurt said with a sly grin. "Good practice."

"Practice for what?" Peter asked, looking almost horrified. "Maybe it should be Quill …."

"You make it sound so terrifying," Kurt teased.

"To be fair, in Quill's case, it is," Kate had to point out. "Wrong Peter, though."

"Yes, _our_ Peter doesn't have nearly the same reason to be nervous," Kurt said with a wicked, impish grin.

"What's the rush, guys? You get engaged and suddenly everyone else has to jump after you?" Peter asked.

"Well, now I know where the ring shops are," Kurt pointed out. "And I've been through the paperwork process... "

"See, Pete? You've got a ready-made guide," Kate giggled delightedly.

Peter looked betrayed as he looked over at Logan. "What, no help?" Peter asked, but Logan shook his head and crossed his arms.

Kate laughed even harder at that before she rushed over to wrap Peter up in a hug and ruffle his hair affectionately. "Aww, it's okay. We're just teasing. We all know it'll probably be, like… Carol and Rhodey or something like that. You don't have to look like we're signing you up for a firing squad."

"Oh, sure, _now_ you say that, but just wait." Peter tried to straighten up his hair, failing miserably when it simply didn't want to behave. "You and your little sunshiney soon-to-be-married glitter … trying to just spread it around. Rude."

"Well, of course," Kurt said. "We want you to be _happy_."

"And married," Peter added.

"You _are_ older than both of us," Kate pointed out. "Technically, _we're_ still under Coulson's rules…" She giggled and bumped Peter's hip with hers before she practically flounced over to Kurt to wrap her arms around him. "I'm just saying."

"She's always 'just saying'," Peter murmured Logan's way.

"Get used to it," Kate teased. "You'd think you would be by now, Pete."

He just had to roll his eyes her way as the group of friends fell into easy teasing — and excitement about the future.

* * *

 _October 22_

 _Undisclosed Location: Hydra Base_

* * *

It had been a _month_ since Hydra had sent Logan to kill Fury, since they had followed it up with a strike on the SHIELD base — and it was clear to Bobbi that the leaders of Hydra were increasingly frustrated with the fact that not only was SHIELD still up and running but that it seemed neither Fury nor Logan were dead, either — at least, not that anyone could confirm.

The confirmation was difficult in itself, seeing as it seemed that all of the Tahiti kids, all the victors, and several others had simply… _disappeared_. Hill was still running things in the Capitol with the regular SHIELD forces, razing the palace, rebuilding, trying to establish a new way of doing things…. But as for the rest of SHIELD, there was simply… _nothing_. No hint of the children or victors that were a thorn in Hydra's side.

It was too much to hope that they were all dead — so they had to be hidden away somewhere. And to make matters worse, Hydra had to assume their inside source had been discovered at the very least, since Abigail Brand had not checked in to confirm anything.

And yet after a month's worth of searching, there wasn't a sign of them. Nothing that Bobbi could find in intelligence, nothing that even Von Strucker's soldiers could find on foot… wherever Fury or Coulson had hidden away their special forces, it was becoming frustratingly clear that Hydra couldn't _find_ them.

So instead, they would smoke them out.

It was Viper's idea to play on SHIELD's 'weakness' and affections, but it was Bobbi's job to scout out the intelligence on the districts and determine which one would be the easiest to hit. After all, for as much as Strucker preened about his armies, SHIELD had control of most of Marvel, and they needed an easier target that wouldn't take up too much of their forces when they were fighting SHIELD on practically all sides.

"Werner, I needed that map of Nine five minutes ago," Bobbi snapped irritably in the direction of the young man who had been assigned as her underling — technically. He was Strucker's son, and the most obvious plant to keep an eye on Bobbi's loyalties that she had ever seen. But then, Strucker wasn't playing subtleties when it came to his suspicions about her anyway.

"You've been looking at Eight all morning—"

"And now I'm not." Bobbi glared at Werner pointedly, and when he did get her the intel she'd asked for a few minutes later, she basically snatched it from him and ignored him as she got back to work. She didn't have to treat him well, and it actually looked better for her if she _didn't_. She was Viper's protege, with nothing to prove — and this kid honestly got on her nerves anyway.

She was elbow-deep in looking through the maps and other readouts when she saw the shadow of someone next to her and let out a frustrated noise. "Not now, Werner."

The man beside her let out an amused little chuckle. "Is that how you speak to my son?"

Bobbi glanced up to see that it was the older Strucker and let out a breath of annoyance. "It's how I speak to those _beneath_ me, especially those that get on my every last living nerve," she said as she shook her head.

"So you don't enjoy _mentoring_ him?"

"Baron," she said in a tired tone, "if he had the aptitude for _any_ of what I do, I'd call it mentoring."

"Such a shame; he speaks quite highly of you all the time," Von Strucker replied. "If I didn't know better, I'd say the boy was enamored with you."

Bobbi raised an eyebrow Strucker's way for a moment and then waved the comment off. "Did you need something, or did you come to ferry your son's affections?"

He barked out a small laugh and simply took a step closer — past her to the plans and drawings laid out on the table behind her. "I've simply come to offer my expertise."

She gestured at the plans and maps. "You're welcome to give any input. I only just shifted my focus to Nine. Eight would be too difficult with Norman Osborn's latest security measures," she told him.

"Then perhaps next we should consider levelling Osborn's facilities while he is asleep."

"Sounds like fun," she said with a smirk.

He took a moment to frown down at several of the maps, shuffling a few papers out of his way as he looked it over. "And what do _you_ think will draw them out best? What is the reason behind this mass removal?"

She paused to think it over and decided to answer the second question first. "They _care_ ," she said simply. "Not just the children or the victors — Fury himself is almost affectionate with some of those operatives."

"Yes. So what story to leak would be the most compelling and make them run fastest?"

"Baron, that's too easy," she said almost disdainfully. "This is SHIELD we're talking about. They come running for sob stories. Cats in trees. Crying children over broken toys."

"You oversimplify it yourself, my dear — but if we're to throw the bait into the wind for SHIELD to hear about, it should be a believable lie." He tipped his head to the side. "Or perhaps simply an attack on those that are rallying the resistance there."

"A straightforward attack would only draw a straightforward response," Bobbi said. "Hill's soldiers would respond to anything so simple as that…" She paced a small path. "The problem is how to make it personal — which is why I was considering Nine, when so many of their precious children are from there…"

"I had assumed as much," he said with a little smirk, though there was no amusement in his eyes. "You know, Miss Morse, I find myself thinking that you would be a fine strategist — if you would only take it a step farther. It's very much like you're holding back your full potential."

"I appreciate the offer, but I already have a mentor," she deadpanned without looking up from the maps.

"It's not an offer," he clarified. "It's more an observation — that you get close to something that could be devastating for the enemy ... but stop short. It's enough on its own to question your loyalties."

"If you see something that I'm missing, please, enlighten me. I've been staring at numbers and readouts so long my head aches," she said irritably.

He let out a little breath. "We should simply take the children and wipe them out." He decided. "It will destroy any resistance in Nine."

She stopped to consider him — months of working with Viper having schooled her horrified reactions into single raised eyebrows until she found somewhere private. "That would certainly get their attention," she said. "But it would be better to round them up first… we don't want to move so quickly that SHIELD has no time to wander into our clutches."

He let out a little sound, almost clucking at her. "And there we see how you sound more like our Lady Hydra. All show and flash. So dramatic."

"She's an excellent teacher."

"Well then, let's finalize your plans; I tire of waiting for things to move."

Bobbi nodded without looking up at him. "Give me a few days to find the best weaknesses in the district's defenses, and we can move as soon as your troops are ready."

"My troops simply await their orders. They are always ready."


	16. A Sparkly Little Wedding

**Chapter 16: A Sparkly Little Wedding**

* * *

 _October 31_

 _Fury's Hidden Base_

* * *

As it turned out, both Charles and Coulson were comfortable giving their permission for Logan to join the rest of the little hidden group on Halloween — though only part of that was because Jubilee had taken every. single. opportunity to harass and hound both of them until they agreed to it.

But the truth was: Logan really was doing better.

Logan wasn't the only one to 'visit' for the wedding, either, seeing as many of the friends Jubilee and Noh had made on SHIELD's base had gone back home after SHIELD took over the Capitol. There was a whole flock of little stylists as well as several of the Tahiti family members that the two of them had gotten close to — all flown in by Agent May, since she was the best pilot for their stealth jets and could get even a large group in under Hydra's radar.

Which was how, when Logan got to where everyone was gathering, he ended up being met at the door by an unlikely little trio of Kate, her niece, and Josh — as it seemed the little boy had very much missed Katie and was following her everywhere.

Kate grinned at Logan and gave him a one-armed hug when she saw him before very theatrically whispering, "I think someone has a crush, and I don't know if it's adorable or if it's my aunt-ly duty to chase him off."

"For as small as he is, I'd say the first," Logan replied. "Pretty sure his dad won't let him be too much trouble."

"This is true," Kate had to agree, grinning even wider when the little boy in question slipped around her to hug Logan's leg.

Logan looked down at him and rested his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Did you say hi to the Kates, little cousin?"

Josh nodded very enthusiastically at that.

"He knows where the fun's at, huh?" Kate teased as Josh shyly grinned and nodded again.

"Age-appropriate," Logan replied.

"Of course," Kate said, shaking her head at him as Josh tugged on his sleeve to try and get his attention.

"Did _you_ say hi to the Kates?" he whispered as soon as Logan bent down to his level.

"That's what I was doing when you came over," Logan answered quietly, which just got a giggle from Josh and a 'go on' shooing motion. "You've been spending way too much time watching Heather, little man."

Kate grinned at the two of them as her tiny little niece giggled at the whole situation — seeing as Josh was giggling too — and waved with one hand, opening and closing it at Logan.

He scrunched up his nose at her in response with Josh still giggling next to him. "You practicing already, Trickshot? Didn't you just get engaged?"

"Please," Kate said, rolling her eyes. "I just haven't seen my niece in ages is all. And she's named after _me_. Gotta make sure she knows how to Kate properly." She tickled Katie's tummy as she said it, and the little girl fell apart in little giggles.

"Which is why she's giggling and tripping over the little boy that's following her around like a lost puppy. Seems appropriate," Logan said. "You teach 'er that or does it come naturally?"

Kate stuck her tongue out at Logan in response, which prompted Katie to fall apart in giggles all over again. "Come on, troublemaker — let's get you to Jubes before she hits someone thinking you're not coming."

"Oh, is _that_ why you came over here?" Logan asked. "I thought it was to show me how motherly you could be, which … "

Kate gave him a dry, _dry_ look. "You are not funny."

"Katie disagrees," Logan said before he gave the little girl a wink and she giggled harder.

Kate rolled her eyes and shook her head at him as they headed down to where the rest of the group was — with Josh's quiet report of how Katie could crawl so the grownups had to watch out not to step on her the whole way down.

Of course, once they _did_ get within thirty feet of Jubilee — that was it. She ran for Logan and skirted around Josh and the Kates to _tackle_ him all over again, flowy white dress and all.

"Something special going on, Jubes?" Logan asked as he hugged her back.

"Oh, nothing much; I'm only _getting married_ ," she teased as she gave him a good squeeze.

"You two are practically married anyhow," he replied. "Might as well make it official."

She laughed at him and shook her head as she finally let him up. "I just wish we had some of those Capitol reporters to shove it in their noses how very, very wrong they were when you give me away," she teased.

"Yeah, except for the whole full body tackle thing," he pointed out. "Gonna need to rein that in before I get pulled into your whole line."

She waved her hand at him. "Like you're not already," she said airily. "Your _my_ Wolvie. No take backs."

"Alright, so … tell me what you need me to do," Logan said after he got back to his feet.

She beamed at him and slipped her arm through his. "It's really easy, I promise. Just walk me in a straight line when it's time for the whole shebang, drop me off when you get to the super cute blue stylist — and then when the party gets going, I expect a dance, mister."

"Alright," he agreed. "I guess you got it all figured out."

"Like you're surprised. We have been planning this for ages, and you know it."

"Yeah, since what — five, ten minutes after you met?" Logan teased.

"Please. It was more like fifteen," she shot right back, grinning widely.

"Alright. See if you can detach yourself from your favorite victor for a few seconds so I can put the finishing touches on," Honey said as she caught up to the two of them with a makeup brush in one hand and a camera around her neck. " _Foto!_ " she added, snapping a picture before Logan could react of the two of them before she grinned to herself and flashed them both a thumbs up.

Jubilee grinned widely and gave Logan another quick kiss on the cheek before she headed off with Honey, the two stylists chatting excitedly about all the preparations that had gone into the whole event.

It wasn't long before everyone gathered started to settle into seats, little murmurs of conversations and laughter still echoing in the small, hidden base. America was standing up with Noh as his "best woman" and teasing him _relentlessly_ about 'the line' and giving him all sorts of significant eyebrow waggles that were mostly meant to turn him as purple as she possibly could before the wedding even started.

The last to arrive before Jubilee was the officiant — none other than the director of SHIELD himself — and both Charles and Coulson didn't bother to hide their glances Logan's way. He'd made plenty of progress with his reactions to the director, but seeing as Fury had _never_ done anything like this and Logan's memories about the man had been tampered with, they wanted to check on him all the same.

Just before they stepped out for Logan to walk Jubilee down the aisle to Noh, Logan couldn't resist pulling her to a stop and leaning closer to her. "I don't care what's been made up to prep for this, but I feel like I have to give you an out, even if you're still waist deep in your line," he whispered.

She shook her head at him and popped up on her toes to kiss his cheek. "Don't need it," she promised.

"Just had to do my job, that's all," he replied.

She laughed at him and shook her head again. "Just get me down there, you goon."

"I'll try to keep you from running, okay?"

"Oh yeah. Because _I'm_ the nervous one," she giggled.

"I meant running _to_ him and accidentally trampling someone in your path."

"Oh, well, _that_ … is actually a good point," she laughed as she looped her arm through his, and the two of them all but glided down to where Noh was waiting, all purple and grinning in a silver-gray suit.

Once Logan was seated — with the rest of Jubes and Noh's 'family' of stylists and victors— Fury said a few words of introduction while Jubilee very quietly bounced in place until it was finally, _finally_ time for them to get married and say their vows.

Noh was the first to say his, and he was slightly less purple by then with America quietly standing behind him and, over his shoulder, giving _Jubilee_ significant looks now. But he looked like he was over the moon as he very gently slid a ring onto Jubilee's finger. "Jubilation Lee," he told her warmly, "I've known since the day I met you that you were extraordinary, and since shortly thereafter that I would do anything for you. There is no one I'd rather have by my side, and I'm simply floored every day that you feel the same way about me." He smiled at her with a twinkle in his eye. "You are the best partner I could ask for — and I love you."

"You always say such nice things," Jubilee said quietly, shaking her head at him before she broke into a little grin. "But _I_ am a woman of action," she added as she slipped the ring onto his finger and kept hold of his hand to pull him into an incredibly passionate kiss. When it broke, she grinned over at Fury. "Well? Marry us already so I can do it again."

"Alright then," Fury said with an amused tone. "If no one's stupid enough to have objections ... " He barely paused as both America and Logan seemed to be waiting for any trouble. "Then you are now, _finally,_ one line."

America barked out a laugh and said something about the 'worst-kept secret in Marvel' on her way to flat out _kiss_ Fury for that one. "Beautiful!" she declared.

Before Jubilee could laugh too much over it, Noh swept her up in a kiss and dipped her backward as their friends applauded them and the music started — clearly cued up and ready to go.

There was a brief scraping of chairs as everyone cleared out the room — it was the only huge room in the little hidden hangar, so it was both ballroom and ceremony room for the day — and let the newlyweds spin and dip through a dance before Jubilee called out that "everyone better start dancing too." It wasn't long before the whole place was filled with both dancing couples and friends having a blast.

The couples that led out were, of course, the usual suspects. Kate and Kurt, Steve and Peggy, Tony and Pepper, Carol and Rhodey… there was also Wade with Cassie practically standing on his toes as they spun through the group.

A few of the others needed a little prompting to get out on the dance floor, though, and Kamala giggled outright when she realized that Clara was all but prodding Miles her way.

"Man up, Spider Twerp," Clara muttered over his shoulder. "Pretty sure she won't bite."

"It's not romantic under _duress_ ," Miles argued half-heartedly, though he was having a hard time making that argument when Kamala was laughing like she was.

"This is not duress. But if you want, I can make it under duress," Clara replied.

That got a little 'eep' and a few faster steps Kamala's way as the younger girl met them there to try and salvage a little of Miles' pride. "Don't mind the big sister," she teased as she took Miles' arm and they headed toward the dance floor.

"You enjoy doing that, don't you?" Scott teased as he made his way over to grin at Clara with his arms around her from behind. "I think he's intimidated by you."

"Maybe a little bit," Clara said with a little smirk.

"Do you plan to do that the whole time they're dating?" he had to ask.

"If they want to drag their feet too much — and you give me nothing better to do with my time — yes," she replied with one eyebrow raised. "Yes, I will."

"Right… sorry about that," he said, looking every bit sheepish as he stepped around her but kept a hand on her waist. "I've been busy, but I think that shouldn't last too much longer."

"I'd hope not," Clara replied.

"I've been helping the professor," he said, and there was a distinct note of pride in his tone.

"Helping him do what, exactly?"

Scott grinned and gestured toward Logan in answer as Logan was talking with Kurt, both of them with their heads together and smirking.

"So … you've been talking with Logan then?" Clara asked, tipping her chin up with a little smirk.

"Ah, not me," he said, shaking his head.

"Why not? I thought you were going to tear that bandage off."

"I did — it went very badly," Scott admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well, I hope you're not giving up. I can't date a _quitter_."

He had to shake his head at her and smirk. "You know me. Can't drop something once I start it." But then he took her by both hands. "Speaking of which: I think you deserve a dance or ten after how much time I haven't been giving you."

"I deserve a lot more than a dance," she replied with a little grin. "But I won't get you blushing too badly."

He did turn a light shade of crimson at that but didn't stop the grin. "Well, let's just start with a dance."

With that, the two of them spun out onto the floor — past a few of the other couples, including America and Gogo. Though… the youngest victor temporarily abandoned her dance partner — with a quick kiss — and ran over to where Logan was when it looked like he was free, with Kurt dancing with Kate now.

"Oh no you don't," America said as she snagged Logan's arm.

"Don't what?" he asked. "I was standing here. That's all."

She grinned and started to pull him onto the floor. "Exactly. And that's the problem, wallflower. Plus, I'm pretty sure it's required. Best woman… victor of the bride…"

"It's required that I dance with Jubes," Logan corrected. "Once."

"Consider this the warmup," she teased.

"Sure you wouldn't rather take Jess for a spin?"

"Oh, I'll get to Jess," she promised with a twinkle in her eye. "And Jubes. And just about everyone in here. You're not special, twinkletoes."

"No kidding. But as long as you're working down the list, picking off notches one by one."

She laughed at that and kept right on dancing, clearly out to enjoy every second of the party. "Hey, we gotta _celebrate_ the line. You and I know pretty darn well it was a long time coming," she pointed out.

"Yeah. They've been through it. And a lot of their trouble was because of me," Logan said with a sigh before he cleared his throat to change the subject. "What about you? You involved in a line of your own?"

"Oh, I guess you could say that," America said with a cheeky grin. "Only I don't design. I just kiss _real_ good."

"So you're her muse," Logan decided. "Fitting."

America laughed outright. "Hey, I'll take it." She paused, grinned crookedly, and added, "Though seeing as she's been helping Noh and Warren with wedding prep, I'm not sure how I _should_ take that."

"You better watch your back; you're probably gettin' in line the way these sparkly types work."

"They are _enthusiastic_ ," she agreed with a very obscene grin before she had to laugh and spin through the next move.

They were almost through the song when someone tapped Logan on the shoulder, and he turned to see that Skye had made her way out to the floor. "Mind if I cut in?" she asked with a teasing grin.

"Go for it," he replied. "Miss America was lookin' to work down the whole guest list. You're up."

"I meant with _you_ , you loon," she laughed.

Logan looked to America and shrugged as Skye stepped in and slid her hand across his chest. "I tried to help."

"And it was noted and appreciated," America said, shooting him a little two-fingered salute. "I'll go find Jess," she said with a wide grin as she shimmied back out into the group of dancers.

"So, you can't find anyone easier to work with then, eh?" Logan asked.

"What, and leave my favorite lumberjack hanging?" she teased.

"I'm really the only one you know," he pointed out.

Skye waved a hand. "Details."

"Kind of an important one if you're going to go throwin' words around like 'favorite'."

Skye laughed as she rearranged her arms around his shoulders. "Don't need to meet the rest," she said, then paused, grinned, and added, "Unless you think there's someone out there who might _sweep_ me away?"

"Likely," he replied with a shrug.

"You mispronounced 'never gonna happen.'"

Logan tipped his head to the side for a moment. "That … is a major mispronunciation."

"Yeah, you should fix that," she teased.

"Must be the accent."

"Must be," she agreed before she stepped closer and stole a kiss. And at that, he looked around the dance floor and gently redirected her off to quieter area — with a lot less traffic.

The party stretched on for a while longer, but it looked like Logan wasn't the only one who wanted a little quiet, as about a half hour into the dancing and celebration, Kurt noticed that Kitty was standing by herself — her earlier dance partner nowhere to be seen.

"What are you doing decorating the walls, _katzchen_?" he teased.

"I seem to have misplaced my dance partner," Kitty replied with a rueful little smile.

"Well, mine is talking a mile a minute with her sister," he said with a little bow as he offered her his hand. "Would you care to dance?"

"I'd love to," she replied as she took his hand with a little curtsy.

He grinned and pulled her out into a sweeping dance. "Do I need to hunt down a former victor for you?" he asked, only half teasing. "I don't like the idea of anyone standing up my _katzchen_."

"Give him a break," Kitty replied. "It's a little … thick in here, I think." She looked around the room with a critical eye noting that many of their victors were MIA. "I think Logan's gone too. Maybe they're together."

"Yes, it is more of a crowd than usual," Kurt had to admit, shaking his head.

"So, does this dance come with a stern talking to for messing around with Peter?" She gave him a broad smile. "Because it kind of feels like it."

Kurt had to laugh and relax his shoulders slightly. "Of course — where are my manners?" he teased. "I should be giving _him_ the stern talking to for messing around with my _katzchen_."

"That's right," she agreed with a nod.

* * *

In fact, Quill and Logan were together — though neither of them had exactly planned it that way. They'd both gone for some air and some distance, and somehow, both of them had wound up outside... and both of them had brought a little whiskey.

Quill looked up when he saw Logan close the door behind him and tipped his head to the side. "Take a seat," he said, gesturing at the snow.

"Is this the pep talk section of the evening?" Logan asked as he leaned against the building.

Quill snorted and shook his head. "Please don't."

"No danger there," he replied. "I wasn't offerin'. Just tryin' to remind myself why I haven't taken off into the woods yet."

Quill gestured out toward the trees. "Well, it's out there and you're not, so there must be something."

"No idea," Logan answered. "Though camping in this stupid suit ain't high on my to do list."

Quill smirked at that and leaned back. "Not much of a fan myself."

"Looks like we're gonna have to put up with a few of these," Logan replied.

"Should get easier, right?" Quill said, leaning back as he took a long drink.

"How the hell am I supposed to know?"

"You're supposed to say 'sure thing, bud' and drink with me," Quill grumbled.

"I'll drink," Logan said with a nod. "While I can. Kinda wondering how long I got until I get locked up again. Gotta be runnin' out of time."

"You're doing _fine_ ," Quill said, waving his hand. "What've they got to lock you up for?"

"Outside of the crazy part?" He shrugged and took another drink. "Figured that was enough."

Quill leaned back and had another long drink. "Yeah, well. Just drink with me for a while, and if you go crazy, keep it on your side of the roof."

"No argument there."

The two of them drank in silence for a while, letting the snow fall for a good long time, before Quill broke the silence again. "What do you think — they done with all the big stuff yet?"

"I don't know," Logan admitted. "Never went to many weddings, and those I did go to sure as hell weren't this … drawn out."

"Wouldn't know," Quill said, not looking Logan's way as he glared out at the snow. "Mine felt like a year."

"Viper was quick. And I don't remember most of it." He lifted his glass slightly Quill's way. "She had me drugged. Shocker, I know."

"One-strike bite. Makes sense," Quill said with a smirk despite himself.

"Pretty much," Logan agreed in a sigh.

"So we'll just have to make you a widower like me and we can start over, yeah?" Quill said. "'S what Kitty keeps saying — first time didn't count.'

"Mulligan," Logan agreed. "Though once bitten, twice shy might be more appropriate."

"You're just full of those today. Sure you haven't been hanging out with Parker?" Quill said.

"You wanna take a flyin' lesson off the roof, Star Lord?" Logan asked.

Quill chuckled and raised both hands in a gesture of peace. "I'm just pointing out the puns."

"Not a good enough excuse."

The two of them drank in silence for a good long while, though their quiet, private, little party was interrupted when the scent of a burning cigar caught Logan's attention. At first, he couldn't help but smirk when he smelled it — but when he turned to find Director Fury coming their way to join him, he almost held his breath.

Although Charles had been making major headway with him, the concern over Fury was still there. However, it didn't slip past Logan that his initial reaction to the cigar smoke was positive, and he was preoccupied with that thought when Fury started to speak — first to Quill.

"Did you catch that?" Fury said, his focus clearly on Logan, even though it was obvious to everyone on the roof that he most certainly had not.

"No," Logan admitted. "Was thinkin' about somethin' else."

"I was saying that you've been locked in that room for too long," Fury told him. "And if you're up for it, it's high time you got back to training again."

"What if I don't want to?" Logan asked, eyeing Fury openly.

Fury smirked and offered him a cigar, but Logan frowned at it and flat refused to even consider taking it. "Then I guess you're going to be bored." He took a few steps closer, obviously trying to bait Logan into doing _something_ — anything. It was no secret the Fury wanted Logan cleared sooner rather than later. "There's plenty to do in the gym if you want to burn some energy off, but Master Po has been looking for you."

That got Logan to reconsider him a bit closer, and after Fury took a deep pull off of his cigar, Logan blinked once and plucked the cigar Fury was smoking out of his hand and took a draw off of it himself. It was a move that had both Fury and Quill raising an eyebrow. "I don't know that I want to fight for anyone," Logan said. "But … I'm gonna go crazy doing push-ups in that room."

"Let me know when you're ready to see Master Po," Fury said. "And you don't _ever_ have to fight if you don't want to."

Logan looked like he was considering it for a moment before he finally nodded, his gaze on the ground. "Not makin' any promises."

"Good. Don't," Fury replied. "Plenty of time to decide what you want to do — or not do."

Quill kicked off from the wall and let out a breath. "Well ... what say we go back in before our ladies start to miss us _too_ terribly?"

"Right," Logan said in a low chuckle. "Like that's gonna happen that quick."

"Coupla good-looking guys like us? C'mon. They're pining and you know it," Quill said with an easy grin.

"You're drunk," Logan rumbled, though he headed out with Quill, only glancing back a few times toward Fury on the way out as the director was lighting up a new cigar.

The two victors managed to time their return perfectly — or horribly, depending on how you looked at it — and just in time to see Honey delightedly snag the bouquet Jubilee had tossed. Quill paused in the doorway and looked to Logan. "Nope. Staying right here til _that's_ over with," he muttered under his breath.

"You're the only one that has to worry about that," Logan chuckled.

Quill snorted. "Yeah. Lucky dog."

For that, Logan punched him in the arm — hard. "Right. You're twisted. Almost forgot."

"Can't help the way I'm made," Quill said with a smirk, though he rubbed the spot on his arm.

"It's all that time you spent with the Mrs."

But at that, Quill hit him in the arm back. "Well at least I didn't pick up anything worse than a warped sense of humor. You on the other hand…"

"Says somethin', don't it? Went nuts that quick." He turned Quill's way with a deep frown. "And somehow yours was a better, kinder choice."

"Must be something about green."

"Just ain't right," Logan agreed as he glanced at the ring on his hand with the green stripe then clenched his hand into a fist.

The two of them hung back as a widely grinning and only slightly purple Noh ducked under Jubilee's dress for the garter and came back up to toss it over his shoulder — only to ping Clint squarely on the nose with it.

Clint grinned widely and took the whole thing as a joke as he rushed over to wrap Honey up in a hug and kissed her cheek, which had most of the little group laughing.

"Blonde and blonder," Logan said with a little tap to Quill's chest. "Looks like you're safe now though."

Quill pointed to his hair. "Good thing we stayed here. Seems like I was in the danger zone."

"Yeah. It was stacked against you," he agreed.

Quill grinned at that and gave Logan a little wave as he headed off to go find Kitty and apologize for disappearing, which left Logan temporarily on his own as he watched the little gathered group. Most everyone was going back to their dancing and partying while Jubilee and Noh grabbed a moment to themselves to actually get to _eat_ some of their cake — though he did catch Natasha snatching the garter away from Clint as he seemed to be using it as a slingshot to annoy both Spidermen.

Skye was preoccupied in a different task, though, as she and Kate were pulling May and Coulson toward the dance floor and all but begging them to just take _one_ dance together.

"C'mon. It's, like, absolutely _necessary_. Mom and Dad dance. Come _on_ ," Kate practically pleaded as she had hold of Coulson's arm and Skye had May's.

"It won't kill you," Skye told May. "Take pity on the man. Please."

Coulson had to shake his head at the two determined girls. "Really."

"We're going to hound you until you do," Skye promised.

"We'll get the littlest ones and puppy dog eyes involved," Kate said, completely seriously.

The two agents shared a look and let out their own weary sighs. "Just one," May said finally.

Both Skye and Kate _beamed_ at each other and at the two SHIELD leaders and shooed them forward — and once the two of them started dancing, the girls shared a high five.

"You two are troublemakers," Kurt said with a little laugh before he pressed a kiss to the side of Kate's head and offered her his hand.

"We're geniuses," Skye argued. "And you know it."

"Oh, of course I do," he agreed. "Geniuses at causing trouble." With that, he swept Kate out onto the dance floor with a wide grin to join Coulson and May and a few other dancing couples.

"Aren't they just so sweet together?" Kate's sister, Susan, asked. She had been off to the side with her little girl, but on seeing Logan approaching the dance floor again, she seemed to have decided to come say hello.

"They're _something_ ," Logan muttered as he glanced her way and side-stepped away from the wall.

Susan chuckled and shook her head. "I'm just so happy that they're finally getting married. Do you think they'll do it here?" She shook her head. "It's just that the change is hard for Katie — it's a long flight from Twelve."

"Pretty sure Katie'll be a few years older before it's a concern," Logan said. "They move slow."

Susan looked put out. "Oh, really?" She pursed her lips in a move that looked exactly like Kate when she wasn't getting her way. "I hoped they'd move a little faster. I mean, it's been some time, and there _is_ a war on."

"Take it up with the Elf," Logan said. "He's the slow mover."

"That doesn't surprise me," Susan laughed as little Katie squirmed around in her arms, clearly bored and wanting to move around. She switched arms and tried to resettle Katie as she added, "My sister's never done anything slow in her life."

"Then it's a measure of how hooked she is that she's layin' it on him to decide," Logan reasoned.

"Well, now that she has a ring, we'll see how it goes…" Susan said, though she was a bit distracted as Katie started to squirm even more, leaning toward Logan. Susan let out a breath and handed the little girl over to him without a thought. "Hold on. I brought a bag…" she said as she turned to grab the nearby satchel.

"Woah," Logan half whispered, simply not expecting Susan to just … hand him her baby. But before he could pull it together enough to argue it, little Katie snuggled into a hug, totally melting into his shoulder with her little hand resting on the side of his neck.

Kate and Kurt had been paying enough attention to realize what was happening but were too far away to stop it — and by the time Susan came back with the little stuffed animal, Katie was in the full snuggle with Logan and not at all interested in the toy, giggling and shaking her head when Susan tried to offer it to her. And when Logan tried to hand her back, Katie held on tight, leaving him little choice other than to hold her.

"I think she missed you," Susan said with a pleasant smile as she readjusted the bag on her shoulder.

Both Kate and Kurt came over almost cautiously. Susan had no idea what had gone on with Logan, so she didn't realize why they were looking the way they were, but when Kate tried to get Katie to come to her, that set off a whole new round of giggles as the little girl stubbornly shook her head and doubled down on snuggling Logan.

"I don't know why…" Logan said.

"Don't question it," Susan laughed. "She's just as stubborn as Kate was when she was little."

"'Bout the same bad judgement too," Logan muttered.

"Good judgement, you mean," Kurt said with a smirk as he tried to tempt Katie with a little game of peekaboo — and the little girl finally released Logan to snuggle into Kurt with a contented little gurgle as she covered her eyes to keep playing.

"Thanks, Elf," Logan said quietly before he slipped off — trying to get out of Katie's line of sight quickly. As he headed toward where Skye was giggling with Fitzsimmons while they watched Coulson and May finish their dance, he spotted Natasha sitting in a quiet corner alone.

"Your Hawk gonna freak out if I sit with you for five minutes?" Logan asked.

"Of course not," she said with a shrug.

"At least you're not denyin' he's yours anymore."

She turned his way with one raised eyebrow before she let out a breath. "No, I didn't, did I?"

"Nope," he replied as he leaned back.

"I did ask you to take care of him while I was gone," she said, matching his relaxed posture but not looking his way.

"Screwed that up pretty royally," he said.

"I didn't really expect you to keep him from trouble, you know. He finds that just walking outside," she said with a little sigh. "I just wanted him alive when I was done with my assignment."

"Which nearly didn't happen either, considerin' what Bobbi and Viper did to him."

Natasha narrowed her eyes for a moment. "I know. I saw the reports when I was in the Capitol."

"Well, what you didn't know was that Bobbi did as much or _more_ than Viper did," Logan said quietly.

"She did?" Natasha hadn't moved, but her eyes flashed with anger, her gaze still on Clint as he was teasing Peter about something or other.

"She did better than half of the work they did on me," he told her very quietly. "Doubt the guys in charge want to hear it, though."

"They _should_ hear it," Natasha muttered.

He shrugged. "Probably just say she was maintaining cover. And... if that's all it was …"

Natasha let out a breath and leaned back. "If that's what it was, they need to pull her before she loses herself," she said seriously.

"If she's not lost already, she's one twisted, sick puppy."

"When I was in the Capitol, I was so good at my job that Ronan tried to get a handful of me," she told Logan honestly, still without moving or looking his way. "He must have seen something ... "

He was quiet for a while before he let out a tired breath. "Quill and I used to drink together over that kind of crap."

"Clint has a good stash of whiskey," Natasha agreed.

"Bring it to Quill," Logan said. "He won't ask questions."

"I may just take you up on that," Natasha said before she couldn't help the smirk. "Though Clint doesn't ask questions either, and he's the one with the whiskey."

"Did you tell him what Ronan pulled?" Logan asked. "Or did you cut it shorter than the full story?"

"He was there when I debriefed with Fury, so he knows the basics."

"And you and I both know things are skipped over in debriefs. Like anything we don't want to be official record."

Natasha finally turned to face Logan. "No, I told Fury — it was crucial to my report on how Ronan was killed."

"Alright," he said, nodding once. "You're still in a small club of 'groped by a royal'."

"You, me, and Peter Quill," she agreed.

"Just don't go marryin' one of the bad guys and we'll keep you on as a junior member."

"I don't do… that," Natasha said with a distasteful expression. "I have my codename for a reason."

He tipped his head to the side slightly. "Maybe we were just conditioned into it with all the crap they made the victors do," he replied with a little smirk.

She rolled her eyes at him. "It's the opposite," she said. "I learned how to use sex appeal as a weapon by the time I was seven. And I learned how to kill anyone who tries to act on it."

He was quiet for a moment or two before he wrinkled his nose and turned to face her fully. "What kind of sick district is Two that a _seven-year-old_ would need that?"

"It wasn't an official training facility," Natasha said, waving it off.

"That makes it even worse," he said, shaking his head. "Don't tell me how you were taught. I might have to firebomb the whole damn place."

"You'd be a little late. Clint and the others raided and crippled them while I was still working with Charles Xavier," she whispered.

"Well, they missed a few spots," he said. "Viper was still testing on Red Room flunkies in Madripoor."

"Some of the leaders escaped," Natasha admitted. "Most of them found refuge in Hydra, last I checked. And yes, I do keep tabs on them." She let out a breath. "I'll come after them _myself_ when I have the time."

"Well, just make sure the Princess Bar gets a warhead lodged in the basement."

"You can come if you like," Natasha said, tipping her head his way.

"Don't know that I'm going back out."

She let out a breath of a laugh. "You can ride shotgun and watch the Princess Bar go up in flames. I don't mind doing the heavy lifting."

"No, I don't know that I _should_ go out. At all."

She turned to face him fully, watching him for a good, long moment. "You're working with Charles, aren't you?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said, nodding. "Don't mean it'll be a smart move though. Likely to screw it up for the group."

She shook her head lightly. "Charles helped turn me around entirely," she admitted in a low whisper. "I shot Clint full of a horrible poison because the Red Room ordered me to." She gestured at the dancing hawk without looking. "Now? Do you think I'd do a thing like that?"

"Not here," he said, meeting her gaze.

"Not anywhere," she corrected him. "I'm not undercover; I'm not with the Red Room. If anyone tried to order me to shoot Clint ... I'd make sure they suffered for a good long time before I was done."

"Sure," he said. "You love him."

She laughed at that. "What makes you think that?"

"Don't try to play that off with me," Logan said, frowning. "You can't lie to me, Tasha."

"Believe it or not, after five months in the Capitol, I have a policy of honesty," she said, still shaking her head with suppressed laughter.

"Then you just don't know it yet," he countered. "I know what I'm seein', and that's not anything they screwed with or altered."

"It wouldn't be," Natasha said. "Especially because Clint and Bobbi were together before she went in deep cover."

"They won't be before it's over," he said.

"Maybe not," she said. "I know he's been upset since what happened in Twelve. But Logan, I also know he told her he loved her and would wait for her to get back. And he means it."

"Won't last. That girl _can't_ come out of drugging and torturing people straight-faced and be the same person."

Natasha let out a breath. "He's my best friend, and I won't hurt him. You can understand that, right?"

"Why do you think I'm tellin' you?" Logan asked. "If he's hung up on her, he's gonna need you to catch him."

She considered him for a moment and then sighed. "And what about you?"

"What about me?" he asked. "I heard 'em talkin' like I wasn't in the room. The process they used wasn't the same as the way the Red Room handled things. I didn't have laser specific orders. I could think for myself. They just altered … everything else."

"Well, that's better," Natasha said thoughtfully. "You made your own decisions, right?

"More like I didn't see any other option than to make the orders happen."

"And you're out and about with other people after a month."

"Just for the wedding," Logan clarified. "I'm going right back where they had me."

"They locked me in a room in a prison in the middle of the ocean for a couple months," she told him frankly. "I saw Charles; I saw Fury. I saw Clint over a video screen, but I was too dangerous to be close to him for weeks." She watched him quietly before she added, "They wouldn't _let_ him in half of those sessions when I was trying to kill myself rather than fall into SHIELD's hands. I didn't even realize I was doing it."

"There wasn't an order like that for me," Logan admitted. "That was _my_ choice to try to end it."

"And now?" she asked with one eyebrow raised.

"I don't know yet. Haven't ruled it out."

"Seems to me like you have or you wouldn't be dancing with that stylist and kissing your SHIELD lover," she teased lightly.

"She's not even a real SHIELD agent," Logan said.

"Level one clearance," Natasha said with a smirk.

"Which is what they hand out on grade school tours."

Natasha snickered quietly at that. "And you neatly sidestepped my point," she said. "I'm not trying to tell you what to do. But if you're going to tell me to be there for Clint when he falls, I feel obligated to point out that your little SHIELD agent is trying to do the same for you."

Logan drew in a long breath and darted closer to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, Tasha."

She smiled and very gently bumped his shoulder with hers. "Anytime," she said. "After all, we're part of a very exclusive club." She got to her feet with a little smile. "Are you going out for the sparklers? Apparently, we're throwing glitter instead of rice before we send these two ridiculous stylists off."

"If Jubilation informs me that it's mandatory, then yeah."

"If you don't want to, you can say no and I'll make up an excuse," she promised.

"Pretty sure I'm a walking talking excuse all on my own," he pointed out.

"Then I'm going to go collect mine," she said. "You can take yours… wherever you like."

"Got cleared for training," he said. "But I somehow doubt it's anything more than that. A few minutes on the roof got me a check in with Fury … so."

"Well, technically, you'd be with a SHIELD agent," she pointed out with a twinkle in her eye.

"Cereal box SHIELD agent," he argued.

"I did say 'technically.'"

"Just about every kid in the Capitol is 'technically' a SHIELD agent then," he argued.

"How convenient. You'll never have a shortage of possible babysitters."

Logan tipped his chin up at that. "I don't know what you're talking about."

She smirked at him, shook her head, and laughed. "I'll see you around," she said, headed for Clint. "Come find me during training. I need a good spar after all that time undercover."

"You'll probably win," he assured her.

"Debatable," she said. "Like I said, I was out of the game for five months."

"I was starved and stuck in a corner. Same difference."

"Then it should be an interesting match," she decided. " _Das vidaniya_."

" _Hai,"_ he agreed before the two parted company.


	17. Our Favorite Wrecking Ball

**Chapter 17: Our Favorite Wrecking Ball**

* * *

 _November 1_

 _Training Room in Fury's Secret Base_

* * *

Logan started up his first day of training early, as usual, though when Natasha showed up for her own early morning routine, he didn't do more than nod her way as he tried to avoid fighting with anyone right off the bat.

By the time the rest of Tahiti showed up, he was almost done — and irritated with himself for the amount of flexibility _and_ strength he needed to make up for. He was ready to call it a day when Coulson came out to offer him a shot at the Danger Room — just so he could hit something wearing green if he wanted to.

"Can I make requests?" Logan asked, though Coulson simply gave him a little crooked smirk and shook his head.

"How about we start you small and work your way up the 'killing Hydra' ladder?"

"Fine," he said in a flat tone, following Coulson by a few lengths down to the Danger Room, where Scott was setting up a simulation.

"The purpose of this exercise is to see how well you can move through _our_ men while taking out the green threat," Coulson said. "It's a new simulation, one that all of the kids will need to work through, frankly. Up until now, the only sims we've set up were entirely the other side."

"Sure, that's the reason," Logan said, rolling his eyes before he stepped into the room and rolled his shoulders and shook out his arms.

The sim started out simple enough. He was alone against a fairly large number of Hydra — and he was cutting them down one way or another without any trouble. In fact, the further he got into the program — and the deeper he got into Hydra's soldiers — the more vicious he was and the faster he dove right to kills rather than disabling them.

By that time, blue SHIELD uniforms started to enter the mix — as if Logan had worked his way from the far side of the enemy through to the good guys. As long they kept their distance, there didn't seem to be any trouble. But he was still winding up tighter instead of wearing down. And getting nastier. And by the time Scott had the sim push in around him tightly — with both blue and green men around him — he was killing them indiscriminately until he couldn't stand anymore.

Scott killed the sim and frowned down at his old mentor for a while before he glanced Coulson's way. "He can't… _stop_ ," he said, still with that same frown.

"He completely lost control," Coulson agreed. "So now the question is why."

"Let try running a sim with individual faces he knows," Scott suggested. "See if there's a line, and if there is, what he won't cross."

"Not today," Coulson said. "I doubt he could do it."

"No," Scott agreed. "I just meant … looking ahead…."

"And maybe a sim with _no_ Hydra. Find other targets for him, in case that's the trigger for him right now."

"Got it. One Sentinel sim and one with friendly faces."

"It would probably be better if it was Nova Corp — unless you were going to slip Mac into the Sentinels to see if he was paying attention."

Scott couldn't help the smirk. "It would be a good test. He _is_ family."

"Keep that for later in the week, then," Coulson said. "I don't want to give him something like that if he's not ready. He doesn't need any setbacks."

"Yeah, we'll keep that in the back pocket for now," Scott said, back to frowning Logan's way.

And down below, Logan sat there for a while, catching his breath and shaking his head to himself. It had taken a moment for the sim to die completely, and after he'd hit the ground, he did manage to see how much blue was mixed in with the green uniforms. All he could think was that this had been a very bad idea. Unless Coulson was looking for reasons to bench him.

Finally, with a heavy sigh, Logan dragged himself to his feet and headed out of the room — intent on going back to the locked room and staying there.

* * *

 _November 5_

 _Fury's Secret Base_

* * *

The news from Hill in the Capitol was _not_ good. Hydra was pressing in on the outskirts of the Capitol, and most of Hill's forces were tied up trying to keep them out of the Triskellion's backyard. But that wasn't even the worst part of the news.

The worst part was what the _rest_ of Hydra's forces were up to. Hydra had made it known that under Mockingbird's orders, they were rounding up kids in District Nine, and there was an _immediate_ need to get there before Mockingbird's particular division of brainwashing and death got their hands on them.

The Tahiti kids and several victors, along with Coulson's regular team, had gathered up with a fair amount of anxiety, as all of them knew that Kurt's family had resettled there after the fall of the Capitol. One look at the young man made it plain — the rebel twins were a concern for him. Amanda and Stefan were doing great work back in Nine with not only rebuilding but kicking the butts of anyone who tried to cause trouble there — but this was over their heads, and there was no intelligence on whether they were among the kids being grabbed.

As the briefing began, as fast as possible, Kurt looked around the room, pleased to see the support they had bolstered within the base. Coulson had just started to lay it out when the briefing room door opened and Logan stepped in, looking incredibly cautious. He glanced around the room and slipped over to an empty corner, arms crossed and keeping his distance as Coulson picked up the brief again.

"This is going to be a fairly intense mission, I'm sorry to say — and we would bring in more of the regular ground forces, but frankly, they're already in another fight. Two other fights, to be fair. You'll be given anything you need; the armory is open to you. These kids are getting creamed. Don't hold back on Hydra. At all." He dismissed the larger part of the group but asked Logan to hang back — and a few others did as well, obviously concerned

"Are you going to be alright today?" Coulson asked as he watched Logan as he stayed in his half-hidden spot in the corner. "I can't give you an actual area outside of the town itself; it's basically the entire center. The intel says they're going to start going door-to-door looking for any kids they missed when they stormed the place."

Kurt's eyes were flashing as he met Coulson's gaze. "Just get us there quickly so we can end this."

"We will be. But first, there's a back-up in place that needs to be addressed." Coulson reached into his pocket and produced three identical looking buttons. "Logan will be joining the fight. And he's expressed some legitimate concerns about his level of control — and not going too far." He handed the three controllers to Logan as he watched the others' reactions carefully. "Logan, Director Fury and I agreed that you should be the one to pick who gets these."

Kate tipped her head to the side with a serious frown. "What are they?"

"He's going to be wearing a device that will stop him cold if activated. If it's _needed_ , whoever has one just needs to press the button. We thought it best if there was more than one. In case something happened to one person — or in case Logan got too far out from whoever he picks."

The three friends shared a look, their frowns seemingly only deepening at the idea. "But you probably won't need them," Peter said, trying for levity. "So thanks for thinking of it, but he's probably good."

"Let me take one," Kurt said. "If it will make you feel better, you know I'll be close by you, _mein Freund_. I won't let you harm anyone on our side. You _won't_ need it."

Coulson frowned at the Awesomes. "We're hopeful that this is overkill, to be perfectly honest."

Kurt had his hand held out as he looked to Logan, though his best friend just shook his head. "It's gotta be done, Elf," Logan rumbled. "And you're not getting one."

" _Lächerlich_." Kurt frowned at him. "Of course I am."

"No, you're not," Logan replied as he pocketed the controllers. "I'm going to hand them out to people I think can spot the trouble — and won't hesitate to stop me."

"So you need a Hawkeye," Kate said, nodding.

"Actually yeah," he agreed. "Just not you."

"Um, you tripped at the end of that sentence," she said, frowning almost as hard as Kurt.

"No I didn't," Logan replied. "Clint doesn't know me as well. I don't think he'll hesitate."

Kate gaped at him, but Coulson nodded his agreement. "And the other two?"

Logan looked thoughtful for a moment. "Who outside of Tahiti is going?"

"My team as well as a good portion of the victors. Rhodes and a few others are staying here to protect our base in case our massive departure gives away where we're hiding," Coulson said.

Logan nodded. "Then I'll go find Rogers and … I'll get someone on your team too."

" _Steve_?" Kate gaped at him. "You won't give us one, but you'll give one to Steve? And, what, Skye? Come on."

"I'm not going to explain my reasoning again," Logan said. "I already told you why you three can't have one."

None of the kids looked happy about it, but there was also an issue of time. "I just want to… Are you sure you should be out in the field?" Kurt asked.

"You need the help. The powers that be need to know if I'll ever be useful. Seems it's just gotta be done." Logan shrugged lightly. "And if I can't handle it or … I do something … off... there's a way to stop me without putting our side at risk. Win-win."

"I'm sure there are many reasons behind all the decisions made today," Kurt said carefully. "I'm just trying to make sure this was a _choice_ that you made yourself."

Logan frowned for an instant, but Coulson answered. "It was Logan's idea."

Kurt didn't quite look like he believed Coulson, but he shook his head and sighed. "Alright," he said. "We need to get moving."

Before they loaded up, Logan made his way over to Steve and quietly explained the situation as he offered him the controller, all while the rest of the Awesomes watched. At first, Steve looked like he wanted nothing to do with it, but when Logan was sure to explain himself clearly and didn't even try to hide the collar he was wearing as he did so, something seemed to click.

For an instant, Steve glanced over at Kurt, but when he turned back to Logan, he very quickly nodded and said something low to him before he pocketed the device and loaded up.

A moment or two later, the same discussion happened with Clint, who seemed to take it a little quicker, though his expression was grim until Natasha dragged him to the plane.

With a sigh, Logan turned toward Coulson's team with the last of the controllers in his hand as he headed their way. "Before we load up, I need a sec," he said to the little group, the device plainly visible.

"Is there a problem with it?" Fitz asked in an obviously worried tone as he stepped around, clearly ready to examine it if need be.

"No," Logan said, shaking his head. "I'm gonna need you to get the bracelets off, though, and I need to set up my third." Fitz nodded and came forward as Logan offered his wrists, and in a few short moments, he was without the magnetic devices that stopped him from using his claws.

"Who'd you give the other one to?" Fitz asked. "I saw you hand one to Rogers."

"Barton," Logan told him. "Kate wasn't too happy about it. Kurt either, for that matter."

Skye was trying to hide the smirk as she slipped closer and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Well, you'll have one person on your side that they approve of then." But when she reached for the device in his hand, he held it up over his head.

"Not you," he told her with a little frown.

"Ha ha; very funny. Gimme," she said, reaching up over his head.

"No way, level one," Logan countered.

She stopped and stared at him with her mouth still open before she let out a disbelieving sound. "What… that's a serious step down from _director,_ there."

"You gotta save up more box-tops for director," Logan told her. "Seein' as you probably got your badge out of a cereal box."

Skye looked floored, but her ire was temporarily redirected when Fitz coughed out something that sounded a lot like 'skipped the Academy' that had Simmons failing miserably at pretending she wasn't laughing, and even Agent May was smirking softly.

"Then who are you asking?" Coulson asked, his dad face firmly in place. "Fitzsimmons won't be in a position to watch you — they'll be running recovery and checking the kids we rescue for injuries."

But Logan shook his head and simply offered it to May. "I trust your judgement, and I know you'll use it if you see trouble."

May looked honestly surprised for a moment before she simply nodded — though Skye hit him in the arm. "Really?"

Logan drew in a slow breath and turned her way. "You, sweetheart, would try to talk me out of it," he pointed out. "And it's not a 'talk it out' situation."

"You never know. I've been told I'm very persuasive," she said with an attempt at teasing.

"Then see if you can persuade Kurt to not take it personally that I asked Steve — or Kate to get over that I asked Clint." He gave her a tight smile. " _Then_ I might believe you and hand you one next time. Or at least let you stand by May so she can drop me when you choke."

"Oh sure; give me the impossible assignment of the dramatic Elf and angry Hawkeye," Skye grumbled.

"I get it if you wanna sit with Fitz for the ride," Logan said, turning away from the little group.

Skye rolled her eyes as she rushed over to take him by the elbow. "Mmm. No. Gonna have to try harder if you want to get rid of me, sweetheart."

"Figured you two'd wanna catch up on gossip," he teased.

"What, you think he's gotten _any_ further with Simmons without prompting? You call _me_ an optimist." She kissed his cheek again and patted his arm with her hand. "Some things never change."

"I think if they _had_ gotten any further, they'd never tell you," he reasoned.

When they loaded onto the transport, again, Logan kept himself as far from everyone as possible — except for Skye, who wouldn't listen to his nonsense. And while plenty of the kids seemed willing to let him have his space, it looked like Scott wasn't going to let this pass without comment.

"If you need someone on your six, let me know," Scott muttered to him low.

"Just worry about yourself," Logan replied. "Coulson and Kurt both have it set up with the bigger guys goin' along to drag me out if I go down."

"Not what I meant," Scott said. "Just let me know if you need someone on your six if you think you need to hold back. I can pick up the slack if you don't want to go over that line."

Logan watched him for a moment. "As long as it doesn't get too tight, it'll be fine. Believe it or not, this is something I was trained for. The more of them, the better."

Scott raised an eyebrow but then shrugged. "Offer still stands," he said with a nod before he shot Skye a brief grin and found a seat by Kamala.

Most of the rest of those on the plane kept sneaking glances Logan's way until Peter tried to redirect their attention with his traveling comedy routine. "I've seen some pictures of the fields in Nine," Peter said with an eye on Logan. "Half the wheat there is taller than you, Wolvie. Try not to get lost."

"You say that like it's hard for anything to be taller than me," Logan countered flatly. "Try not to let me sneak up on you."

"We'll put a bell around your neck or something," Pete said, a little shocked that Logan had _let_ him make a pass at his height.

"Already got a necklace today, thanks," Logan replied quietly as he went to pulling at the end of his sleeves.

"Oh, right. Well, um, we'll put it on your toes. Like a Christmas elf." He grinned nervously. "You and Kurt can be twins." Logan shook his head with a slight smirk, but didn't rise to the bait.

As they made their approach, it was clear through the window that pandemonium had broken out below. Hydra was everywhere. And it looked as though they were starting their door-to-door campaign of terror. In the middle of the street, the SHIELD teams could see kids of Reaping age and lower being dragged out, restrained, and loaded up.

Kate could see Kurt's muscles tensing and the way he had locked his jaw, and she reached a quiet hand out to rest on his shoulder. "We're going to stop them, and we'll keep them from taking anyone else — and save everyone. That's our job."

He had fire in his gaze as he turned back to her and nodded. "Of course we will," he said, then expanded his gaze to the others. "Come on," he said, louder this time. "Let's go show them what happens when you mess with _kids_."

Steve made his way over to Logan — or as close as he thought was wise. "You're gonna be fine. Lots of Hydra to take out. It'll be like stretching, right?" He gave Logan a smirk, and Logan nodded his head, looking far more serious than Steve.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to kill a bunch of these idiots," Logan said quietly.

"Just make sure you bloody up the ones in green, and this will be a cake walk," Steve murmured. "Are you armed?"

Logan nodded. "No guns."

Steve glanced to Logan's hands nervously. "Alright. Just keep it on the green."

When they landed, Logan watched the rest of the kids unload before following from behind. By the time he stepped off, they were already getting shot at, and the rounding up seemed to pause as Hydra put their attention on the interlopers with such ferocity that it was hard to imagine it was anything but the actual reason for Hydra's actions in Nine.

Kurt was already in motion, swords flashing as bright as his gaze, as he headed straight for the nearest truck filled with kids. Kate and Peter were close behind him, covering his back as he went right for the rescue. It was plain to see how much time the three of them had spent working together, as their organization was automatic.

Hydra soldiers that tried to stop them were quickly met with either Kurt's swords or Kate's arrows as the two cleared a path for Peter to slide into the first truck and take out the drivers and guards. Once it was clear, he stuck his thumb out through the back of the truck in a thumbs-up signal for the other two, and Kurt swung into the truck to help Peter release the kids from their restraints while Kate covered them, two arrows nocked and ready to fly.

Kurt tried not to betray his emotions with the look of alarm on his face as he recognized a few of the kids, people that he'd seen hanging out with his siblings before he was reaped. They were older now — by three years, actually — but he still recognized them all the same, and he couldn't help but ask if the twins were there, too. When none of the kids had seen his siblings, he gritted his teeth and got back down to work, directing them to follow Peter to safety before he hopped back out, glanced at Kate, and raised both swords, headed for the next truck.

* * *

Logan took a breath as he stepped from the transport. For just a moment, Skye squeezed his arm before she jumped out as well, the gauntlets Tony had made for her already coming into play as she put every trick she'd learned from Logan — _and_ from practicing with the new weapons — to use.

As Logan approached the Hydra soldiers, he let the hidden claws fly and simply went into motion — not wasting a single movement as he sliced through one after another. He'd cut through a group of a dozen of them before Skye had taken down two. He took a moment to address the piles of bodies around him before the went for another, bigger concentration of Hydra soldiers that had given up their efforts at a line of houses.

Steve turned to check on how Logan was doing ... and simply shook his head at the scene in front of him. Logan was in the center of a large group, moving far faster than he looked like he should have been able, claws coated in blood and flashing in the sunlight while he seemed to be stabbing and slashing with almost surgical precision.

* * *

The Awesomes, meanwhile, made short order of the few trucks carrying the kids from the district. Peter had been assigned to get them to safety, so Fitzsimmons, Kate, and Kurt found themselves looking at a large mass of green. They shared a determined look, and if it had been any place other than District Nine, they probably would have grinned at each other. Instead, Kurt simply dove forward with Kate following behind him to pick off anyone who got too close to Kurt's six.

The two of them were able to cut enough of a swath through the green that, for just a moment, they saw Logan further down the street, cutting his own path — though he looked less like the usual, enjoying-himself Logan they were used to seeing during a fight. He was much… angrier. Venom in his gaze, fury in his strikes — he was in a pure rage. Not like Kurt's tempered steel and wrath ... this was a primal hatred.

The two shared a brief look of concern before Kate said, "Well at least it's Hydra, not us," with a soft sort of smile before it seemed to Kurt that her entire body jerked backwards, her head tilted back — and then he saw that a Hydra soldier had grabbed a fistful of her hair.

He saw the flash of a knife close by Kate's exposed neck and didn't hesitate before he changed direction altogether, angling himself away from the small, assembled group of Hydra soldiers. Kate was struggling against the soldier who had hold of her, but every time she tried to pull away, the man jerked harder on her hair, pulling her head further back.

Kurt was still hampered by the group he had been fighting, and he couldn't simply _appear_ at Kate's side. He'd cut his way through four of them in the time Kate had managed to buy herself with her best attempt to escape, but…

He made his decision in a second and adjusted his grip on the sword in his right hand. He threw it with careful, precise aim — he had, after all, been practicing with Kate in his spare time; she loved teaching archery, even if he was bad at it — and was more than relieved when he hit the man he'd been aiming at. He hadn't been sure it would work, but Kate had been out of options, and he wasn't going to just do _nothing_.

He turned to face the other soldiers and tossed his remaining rapier into his right hand, a satisfied glint to his gaze as he pounced forward, cutting down the remainder between himself and Kate before he at last reached her.

He looked down at the man he'd killed — or, at least, the man with a sword through his side who was dying — and pulled his sword free. "That is no way to treat a lady," he informed the man before he stabbed him again, this time somewhere more immediately lethal.

He turned his gaze to Kate, whose panicked expression was beginning to subside. "Are you alright, _leibchen?_ "

"All the better being saved by a dashing hero," she teased him lightly, rubbing her head with a slight wince before the two of them turned their attention back to the mass of green. It seemed they'd caught more attention than they'd meant to — there were quite a bit more soldiers headed their way than before.

In the middle of the battle, Logan spun and paused for a second as Scott made his presence known. It seemed he had gotten too close — certainly not on purpose — but to Scott's great relief, Logan gave him a look before turning back to the battle around them. Scott made a point to fight nearby — out of Logan's reach, but not turning his back to him … just in case.

The two of them cleared their side of the street — though, the ones Scott had hit were down, not out, and the body count from Logan was … a bit terrifying. Still, the little victor didn't seem anywhere near ready to stop as he turned his attention to the group that had encircled the rest of Team Awesome.

He dove into the fray, somehow angrier knowing who they'd pointed their attention to. Scott shouted out for him to be careful as Logan sent a set of claws through a Hydra soldier's head. He could see a pocket tightening up — and whoever was in the center needed a little breathing room.

Logan cut his way to the knot of soldiers, and when he broke through, their attention split. Peter nearly came out of his skin when he spotted Logan's claws through one soldier's neck just a few feet away. It was just a flash — but he had no intentions of being this close to Logan when he was fighting like that.

"Just cuz the soldiers are taller than wheat stalks doesn't mean you should sneak up on a person like that!" Peter's eyes widened as Logan locked onto him for an instant and looked like he was headed right for him — until he bashed Peter aside and dove into the Hydra soldier that had a knife raised behind Pete's back.

"RUN!" Logan shouted as he tore into the men around them. It seemed where the kids were gathered, there were pockets — and where Logan was, they dispersed. It was a problem.

Peter didn't need to be told twice and all but scampered away from the fray, headed toward another pocket, this one marked by purple arrows as well as deep gashes along bodies and guns where Kurt left his mark. He shot out the gun in the hands of a soldier that had been aiming at Kurt before he burst into their midst and grinned. "Hey, guys. Miss me?"

Kate and Kurt simply grinned at him and shifted their stances the slightest to accommodate a space for him as they kept their attention on the soldiers ahead of them. With Peter at their side, the kids were able to push a bit further through the assembled soldiers — at least long enough for Kurt to see Logan again through the battlefield… a wrecking ball tearing his way through the field of green.

Even as Kurt watched, though, Logan was joined by two new faces — tall and thin, with matching blonde hair — who took up positions behind Logan, exactly where Scott had been aiming to stay. Logan was focused forward while they took out anyone dumb enough to try to sneak up behind him, both of them wielding blades and grins.

It was the twins — Amanda and Stefan — and Kurt couldn't help but stare for a moment, open-mouthed and more than a little relieved, before Kate seized him and dragged him backward and away from what would have been a very bad pistol-whipping. He hadn't been paying attention to the soldiers around him.

It had taken a few minutes before Logan realized he had a pair of blonde shadows. When he did, he paused for only a second to tell them to keep back before he pushed forward again, all claws and elbows and kicks — with the random clawless punch thrown in from time to time.

The pair of them seemed to be delighted by his actions though, and simply kept pace behind him as he pressed forward to the next knot of green. Logan had no idea who was in the center of that knot, but it was tighter than the other two he saw, so that's where he was headed.

As he tore through to the center of it, splattered with blood and still snarling, Betsy had to jump out of the way as he entered their little clearing. And just as quickly, he cut through the other side with his blonde and grinning escorts, the soldiers broken up from the knot as they passed.

Betsy stared — clearly surprised that not only was Logan _still_ in the fight but … he hadn't slowed down in the least from when he'd stepped off the transport.

America had a huge, smug grin on her face as she punched the nearest Hydra soldier full in the face. "You know something? You're gorgeous when you're gobsmacked."

Betsy gave her a look before she dove into the fight with a smile, working a little harder, with America grinning behind her the whole time.

The knot nearest Betsy and America had the surprising combination of nearly all of the youngest recruits along with Luke, who seemed to be doing his level best to keep any of the smaller kids, including several from Nine itself, from having to _really_ fight, even though they had landed several good hits of their own. When Logan burst through and then out again with his two shadows, Luke pointed the kids after the twins, and for a moment, there was a small line of kids trailing after Logan before they breached the sea of green and the kids rushed to the relative safety of the outskirts of battle — though the twins still stuck close behind Logan.

When Logan took out the soldier Clint had his sights on, Clint called out, "Save some for the rest of us!" before he turned his attention back to having Natasha's back. And when Logan found his way to where Bruce was fighting single-handed, the two simply shared a look before very pointedly turning their attention in different, opposite directions — for the time being.

Through it all, the two blondes stayed with Logan, nearly laughing as if this was the most fun they'd had in ages. But when they burst into the next, concentrated pocket, the little shadows finally paused in their relentless pursuit of Logan as they caught sight of Kurt.

Kurt didn't see them immediately, as he was more concerned with the soldiers about to shoot Peter, but the moment they were down, he turned to see who had joined them — and very nearly stopped in the middle of the battle.

Had they been anywhere else, it was clear from the look Kurt was giving them both that he would have bounded over to hug them. But the Hydra soldiers were pressing forward, and so instead he simply ran toward them to try to protect them — not that they needed it, as they both turned to take down the soldiers nearest them.

"What are you two doing here?" Kurt blurted out as he shook his head, disbelief clear on his features. "It's not safe!"

"Come on, Kurt," Amanda said. "We've been doing this since we got back home."

"We're very good at it," Stefan added as, with a flourish worthy of Kurt's usual dramatics, he disarmed the nearest soldier. "Logan helped us learn a lot of this."

Kurt kept shaking his head as he looked beyond them to Logan. "I hope you haven't been taking my brother and sister into the kind of danger I'd have to be upset at you about."

Logan barely paused between stabbing one soldier and the next before he glanced between Kurt and the blonde brigade. "Like I'd do a thing like that." Another soldier screamed out as Logan jammed his claws into him and twisted. "I told them to back off — but apparently, none of you have any damn sense."

"That's where the action is," Stefan said simply.

"You're gonna get hurt — just ask your big brother," Logan directed at him.

Kurt let out a small sort of laugh as he stabbed through a nearby soldier and turned to look at Logan and then the twins. He looked like he was thinking through his next words before, at last, he chuckled. "They are safest with either you or me, _mein Freund_."

Logan glared at him, stopping long enough for one of the nearer Hydra soldiers to manage to land a shot on him. When the round exploded in the center of Logan's armored chest plate, he looked down, then slowly back up at the soldier — who was suddenly regretting taking the shot and taking a few stuttered steps backward before Logan charged at him with a more enraged roar. The soldiers between him and the guilty party all but dove out of the way as Logan gave chase.

"There goes our ride," Amanda sang out. "Come on, Stefan!" The twins gave Kurt warm smiles and waves before they bounded away. Kurt looked like he wanted to follow, but when Peter nearly took a hit to the stomach, he leaped back into the fray.


	18. There's Something About Katies

**Chapter 18: There's Something About Katies**

While most of the Tahiti kids were focused on cutting through Hydra and saving the kids, several of the victors — as well as others — were focused on making sure Hydra's fairly transparent attempt at a trap did _not_ work.

Wade was trying to keep watch over the group and dropping any gunmen he saw — though it wasn't easy, just a flicker of a scope here or there, reflecting the sun. He'd shot at two, and though he'd scanned the horizon line and any tall buildings, it looked like there weren't any more around. So instead, he'd turned his sights on finding any Hydra higher ups, or … shooting the tires or engine blocks out of the transports that tried to escape Fitzsimmons.

"Not gonna get far with four flats and a giant hole in the engine, losers," Wade half sang to himself as he watched over the group, bored and picking off random Hydra. He very nearly waved to the two scientists as they tried to usher the kids to safety, but that would give away his position. So instead, he started singing to himself.

It was an entertaining show for him, really. Steve Rogers was being very majestic and handsome as he bashed through Hydra with his shield — and every time he made a solid hit, Wade made a noise not unlike a bell ringing, even if it was just for himself. In fact, his sound effects and voiceover of the whole battle was something that he was sure should have been taped.

Luke, for instance, had been assigned a cowboy drawl as he 'watched over his herd' of bitty fighters, bashing anyone that tried to get the drop on the kids — or 'rustle his stock' — but that was stopped cold when very suddenly, Luke was shot. It wasn't fatal, but it was enough that it had his sweet Cassielang shouting and upset.

"Ruh-roh," Wade grumbled before he turned almost completely around to search for the sniper that had to have taken the shot. He was watching carefully, though he still very nearly missed the flash of the glass in the sun. "Oh. You're a sneaky little devil, aren't you?" he said before he turned his sights the sniper's way.

It took him a few moments, but apparently, this sniper wasn't a quick shot, so he had enough time to find him, let out a string of curses on seeing _who_ it was, and then start apologizing to Steve. "Cap, I'm sorry. I am, but … this dude just shot my future brother-in-law." He had his crosshairs on Bucky's forehead, and at the last moment, just before he pulled the trigger, he heard Logan behind him in the middle of the fray let out a curse that had Wade taking pause. Suddenly, he found himself reconsidering his hard line stance — wondering if Hydra'd done something to Bucky like they'd done to Logan.

"Well, crap," he said loudly before he went back to his scope, complaining at almost a shout as he dialed in the scope. "Can't make it _easy_ , can you?" he shouted, turning the focus of his shot not to Bucky himself but instead straight up the barrel of Bucky's gun. He let out a breath and timed his trigger pull so that the peak of the squeeze was between heartbeats.

The report of the rifle echoed the streets and fields, and Wade had enough time to blink and look back through the scope to _watch_ the impact. The gun, of course, exploded on itself as the barrel blew outward in splinters. Bucky jumped back, wide-eyed at Wade's shot — his metal arm in shreds. "Yeah, bet you're changing your underoos now, aren't ya, pal?" Wade said with a little smirk. "Of course, _now,_ I gotta tell your bromance partner about how you're playing for the wrong team." He shook his head to himself. "Lucky. Just lucky."

* * *

Somehow, Logan found himself with nothing to do — there were no massive crowds of green immediately around him. When he turned around, panting, the rest of Tahiti seemed to be handling the remnants of the small army quite well on their own. On seeing him catching his breath, his blonde escorts smiled at him — little splatters of blood on both of them, likely from being a little too close as he tore through soldiers.

He looked a little bewildered as the Tahiti crew finished their job. "Well, it looks like Kurt's getting things all tied up here," Amanda teased.

"With just a _little_ help," Stefan agreed with a laugh.

Logan swallowed hard, trying to ignore them as he walked slowly over to a Hydra truck and leaned against it in the shade as he caught his breath and watched the others finish. The last thing he needed was to go back and squash what was left — unless someone had trouble.

As he was watching, he felt a little tug at his leg and had to rein himself in at someone sneaking up on him and _touching_ him. But when he looked down to find a very small child, he froze. He hadn't thought he'd have to worry about anyone _touching him._ And now ... he couldn't quite talk. The very small girl kept a hold of him until he managed to pull himself together and crouch down to get to her level. "Where're your folks, kiddo?" he asked in a quiet rumble as he put a hand on her shoulder.

When she started crying, he let out a breath. "Hey, take it easy," he said before she wrapped her arms around his neck, and he simply wrapped her up and tried to shush her, trying to settle her down before he turned to the twins. "Any idea where she belongs?" he asked quietly before he picked her up and let her hang onto him.

Amanda frowned the slightest bit. "She lives on our street," she said quietly. "We can look…" She shared a look with Stefan, who was also frowning.

"Go ahead. If there's a problem, I don't want her to see it," Logan told them as the little one snuggled in closer. "I've got her. No one'll bug her."

Both of them nodded and took off at a run, searching through the streets for a sign of the girl's parents.

Logan muttered for her to relax as he took her somewhere a little quieter. He found a shaded spot nearby and leaned against the wall of a building away from the fight before slipping to the ground, with the little girl snuggled up tightly. He didn't mind holding on to her — but he couldn't stay on his feet for forever.

"Logan!" The voice that called out after him was Skye's and sounded concerned — she must have spotted him slipping down. When she rounded the corner, she stopped, then shook her head. "What… how….?"

"I don't even know," he told her quietly. " _She_ found _me_."

Skye took a deep breath and shook her head, finally settling into a look of disbelief. "Should I be concerned that this keeps happening to you? Because if I keep finding you with small, tiny, very, _very_ cute kids..."

He gave her a dry look. "What part of 'they come to me' don't you get?"

"I'm just saying, if you start getting Mac-like family urges, _tell_ _me_ so I can start, I dunno, fixing that urge so you _don't."_

"I'll give you the control for the collar," he deadpanned. "It's not my fault they keep finding me."

Skye shook her head at him and very carefully crouched down, radioing to Coulson that she and Logan were both fine.

"Why don't you see if Simmons is free to check her over," Logan said. "Probably got head trauma to come toward me lookin' like this." But the little girl just curled into him a little tighter on hearing it.

Skye nodded and turned back to her comm — then paused, let out a breath, and sighed. "I'll just go over here," she said, pointing to a quiet corner so that she could talk to Simmons without worrying the little girl.

Once she was a reasonable distance away, she radioed for Simmons. "Hey, Logan found a tiny little girl and wants to make sure she didn't get hit in the head or something. You free?"

"Is she scared?" Simmons asked. "I saw him … working."

"She's scared, but not of him. She … kinda won't let him go, actually."

There was a pause from the other end before Simmons finally came through. "Where are they? I'll be right there."

Skye relayed their coordinates and then leaned against the wall of the nearest building, watching with a fair bit of disbelief as Logan snuggled the tiny girl. She looked up when Simmons arrived and then gestured at the scene. "Well?"

"I'll … have to get back to you," she said, though it was clear she was trying to hide the smile as she made her way over to the duo. She didn't even bother to hide the amusement when it was quickly clear to her that there was nothing wrong with the little one.

It didn't take long for the three Awesomes — panting and sweaty and splattered with blood on their own clothes as well — to make their way over to Skye, wearing identical looks of concern ... and then confusion when they saw that Logan was holding a very small child between himself and Simmons.

Kurt was the first to reach the three of them and squatted down beside them, his gaze on Logan's expression before he asked, "Where did you find her?"

"She found me," Logan replied as he glanced down at her. "I don't know why; she should've gone for one of the twins." He sounded a bit bewildered himself. "At least _they_ didn't look like murder walkin'."

"Well, she seems to feel safe with murder walking," Kurt joked lightly as he looked around.

"Yes, she seems to think this is the best place to be," Simmons said with a little smirk Skye's way.

"You're not subtle," Logan pointed out.

"I've been told that many times in undercover training," Simmons said, smirking harder still. "But in this case, I wasn't trying to be."

"Well how about _trying_?" Logan asked. "Just once." He paused. "But don't try too hard. I've seen that. It's awful."

Simmons looked insulted as she tutted at him and Kurt looked around the area. "Where are the twins?" he asked.

"Lookin' for her parents," Logan told him. "Kinda hopin' she just got separated."

Peter looked nervous as he shifted his weight from foot to foot. "Um, do you… do you need one of us to take her? You're all… tucked in with her." He looked very confused and concerned.

Logan nodded and turned to Kurt, who was nearest, but when he tried to hand her off, she grabbed onto Logan tightly and started to cry a bit. "Or not," Logan muttered.

"Don't cry, little one," Kurt said gently, backing up the slightest bit with an easy smile. "No one is going to take you away if you don't want us to."

"You're running the show here," Kate agreed as she sat on the other side of Logan. "What's your name? I'm Katie."

"No, _I'm_ Katie," the little pig-tailed girl insisted quietly.

"Well that explains it," Peter whispered quietly in Logan's direction. "You have a weird power."

"Yeah. The Bishops, Pryde, and this one."

Kate rolled her eyes at them both and turned her attention back to the little girl. "It's the best name ever. They're just jealous. You've got a great name, Katie."

"I'm Katie Power," she said, picking her head up off of Logan's shoulder for a moment.

"That's a great name!" Kate grinned. "Mine is Katie Bishop. But I like Power better. It sounds like you are a big strong hero." At that, the little girl smiled at Kate a little before snuggling back in.

"I think she's staking her claim," Peter said quietly.

"She can have him. Kurt's here," Kate teased. "So I'm good on the snuggle front."

"Yeah, but she's got like … spectacularly .. um … questionable taste on that front. Considering," Peter mumbled to Kate, gesturing to the state of Logan.

"Speak for yourself. I think she has great taste," Skye said with a little shrug and a smirk.

"Don't question it, Pete. Just run with it," Kate replied, leaning back against the wall beside Logan.

It was only a few moments later that the twins came back around to the group, looking far more somber than they had left. Logan muttered out a quiet curse when he saw their expressions. He looked over at Simmons and then to Kurt. "I have no idea what to do here."

Kurt frowned, looking between the twins and Logan and Katie Power. He ran a hand through his hair for a moment before he seemed to straighten. "I might know someone," he said hesitantly, turning to the twins. "Are any of the houses on our street… What I mean to say is… Is Margali still at the same house?"

Amanda nodded and reached out to pull Kurt to his feet. "She's fine — we're all fine, Kurt. Most of the houses are standing and everything. We can go there, if you want." She looked to the little girl in Logan's arms. "Do you want something to eat?"

Katie peeked up at Amanda and then to Simmons and Logan, who tipped his chin at her to answer. She looked back to the tall blonde girl and nodded.

"Great," Stefan said, looking around at the other kids. "Um, we don't have much to go around, but… Margali will be happy to see all of you, if you want an escort, Logan."

"Do I get a choice?" he asked. "I doubt I'm goin' alone."

"That's true," Kate told him.

"Right then." Kurt had a strange, shining sort of expression as he motioned for the others to follow him. "Let's… Well, let's take you home." Logan put his hand out to Kurt for a pull, and as soon as he was on his feet again, they started down the street.

"Make sure Coulson knows what's going on. He can tell the others. Don't need someone zappin' me while I'm carrying her," Logan said.

"I should really get back anyway," Simmons told him. "There are some kids that do, actually, need to be checked over." She paused and smirked Skye's way. "They don't all have big brothers readily available."

"I'll come with," Skye offered, but Kate already had a hold of Skye's arm.

"Oh no. We need an official SHIELD backup in case Kurt's family tries to get us to _stay_ ," she insisted.

"Oughta see if Fitz is available," Logan said low Skye's way. "Ranking officer and all."

At that, Skye rolled her eyes and hit him in the arm. "Shut up. You're the one who took away my director's promotion."

"Just keep savin' your box-tops; I told you."

She gave him a dry, unimpressed look as the group of them hit the Wagner household, and the twins bounded up the couple of steps to the front door.

When Margali opened the door, she looked surprised for a moment to see the group of them standing there, but when her gaze found the little girl curled up into Logan, she waved them all in quickly.

"Mama, we found someone while we were out there, fighting," Kurt said. "We'd like you to meet her."

Logan glanced at Skye and hesitantly stepped forward and turned so that Katie could peek at Margali over his shoulder. "Says her name's Katie Power," Logan told Margali in a gentle rumble. Katie looked up at her, but didn't let go of him.

Margali took in the expressions of the assembled group, and her lips parted the slightest bit before she simply smiled at Katie. "Come in, all of you. I'm sure you're tired of being on your feet."

The group filed in one by one, all of them quiet as they waited for direction. Logan in particular looked to be at a total loss.

Margali stepped toward the two of them with a kind smile. "Katie," she said quietly. "If it's alright with you, I would like to give your friend a chance to clean up before I let him in my kitchen. Would you like to help me set the table while he does that?"

Katie looked at Logan, who tipped his head a little to see her face clearer, and she finally wiggled a little and let her grip loosen. He set her down gently and stepped back a pace.

"You can help me decide who sits where," Margali continued, watching both of them with a smile. "I'll be sure that he sits next to you." When Katie nodded, Margali helped her into the kitchen, cast a quick smile in Logan's direction, and waved hello to Skye before she and Katie set to busily preparing for the group.

When Logan turned to get out of the line of sight of the kitchen, he caught sight of the top of Kurt's head before he was surrounded in a quiet, tight hug by both of the twins. He cringed a little and reluctantly reached up to give them both a quick pat. "Stop it," he

muttered through clenched teeth. "That's enough of that."

They both released him and grinned lightly, "But it's been _way_ too long," Stefan said with a grin and Kurt, who had been too far behind to stop it but was close enough to get there, pulled them both into his own hug to distract them. "Come on, Amanda," he told his sister. "Kate says she wasn't done hugging you." He tossed a careful grin Logan's way before he led them both away.

Logan let out a breath and stepped back outside to get out of the smaller space. Skye was quick to follow, keeping half an eye on Logan as he seemed to be trying to shake it all off. "You're doing great," she said quietly, though his only response was to let out a weary sigh as she took his arm.

When Margali called out to them a few minutes later, Peter poked his head out of the door to clarify a few things to Logan. "Kurt told the twins to lay off the whole cuddle-rumpus routine, so it should be no big deal, so long as Katie doesn't re-attach..." he said.

"Little kids don't bug me as much …. But … _those two_ need a bell."

"Well, they're _Kurt's_ family," Peter said as if that was all the explanation necessary.

"No kidding. No sense of self-preservation. Not that any one of the rest of ya's much better."

As Peter grinned and slipped inside, Logan let out a breath and turned Skye's way. "I guess we better go in before they come lookin'." He offered his hand to her, and she had to smile a little before she took it. When they reached the assembled group, it was clear that both Katies had been thoroughly ingratiated into the little group. Katie was excitedly explaining the seating arrangements to Margali and directing everyone on where to sit, while Kate and Amanda had hardly paused in their whispered, excited conversations — though Kurt seemed a little concerned when he realized Kate was explaining something about hunting.

When Margali saw Logan and Skye, she smiled softly. "I know you all must need to leave soon," she said. "You have so many places to be — but it's been so long since I've seen you, and I couldn't let you leave on empty stomachs."

For the first time in memory, Logan and Peter shared an identical expression and started shaking their heads. "No, really, that's fine," Peter said. "Really—"

"You're sitting there," Katie broke in, pointing at a chair beside Stefan. She put her hands on her hips and looked up at Peter, who shrugged a little and made his way over to his assigned seat. He pointed down at it and looked at her as she nodded.

"Logan, you've got the place of honor," Margali added with a little laugh. "You get to sit beside Katie." He shook his head even as Katie rushed over and took a hold of his hand, dragging him where she wanted him to be.

Margali had Katie help her to bring out a small meal, though most of the Awesomes tried their best to take as little as possible — except what Katie half-shoved into their hands. Kate had the attention of both of the twins now as she was explaining a few of the snares she'd made with her friends back home. When Peter started to tell jokes to Katie, who wrinkled her nose at him and tried to tell him how to make knock-knock jokes better, Kurt looked across the table at Logan and gave him his best encouraging smile.

It wasn't hard to see that everything from the day had Logan more than a little uncomfortable. In a moment, Kurt excused himself from the table and asked Katie if he could "borrow Logan" for a moment, jerking his head toward the hallway. "You can play with Skye while we're gone," he promised, and Skye gave him a pretended look of betrayal over Katie's shoulder that the little girl couldn't see.

When Katie nodded her permission, Kurt led the way out toward the door and paused, turning to Logan. "How are you feeling, Logan?" he asked.

"Out of my depth," he replied. "All things considered. Little bit of whiplash goin' from slice and dice to tea party with your mom."

Kurt sighed and looked back toward where the others were. "I don't mean to make you uncomfortable," he said. "It's really just like having a meal in the cafeteria, I would hope."

"Haven't really done that in a while either, Elf," Logan pointed out.

"That's true." Kurt looked him over. "Come back and stay with us for a bit if you like," he said, "but if you need to… there's a spot around back that I've always found is a good place to sit and think in the quiet."

"Let's not drag this out, eh?" Logan replied, his eyes on the ground. "Just gonna be harder for her if she's really crazy enough to want to keep me around."

Kurt took a slight breath, nodded, and sighed again. "We should really be on our way at any rate," he said quietly. "Even if Coulson does know what's going on." Kurt didn't look happy about the idea of leaving either.

"I don't want to take you from 'em," Logan clarified. "But that kid..."

Kurt smiled. "She has excellent taste, _mein Freund_."

"Oh, come on. Is there something wrong with the water here?" Logan asked with the slightest of smirks. "Kills off common sense …"

"If that's true, I'm not the least bit sorry," Kurt laughed. He shook his head and smiled at Logan. "You're welcome to stay here. It may take me some time to pry the twins away from Kate anyway."

"No, I'll go with you. I have a feeling if I try to sneak off, Katie'll be runnin' after us."

"Both of them would be mad," Kurt agreed. "Come on, then. We can pick on Skye. I don't think I've ever seen her quite so uncomfortable."

"Only because you missed Josh's birthday," Logan said, then held a hand up between them. "I'm sure you'll hear about it."

When they got back to the table, they were pleasantly surprised to see Skye playing with Katie just as easily as everyone else had been, and Logan was sure to give her a raised eyebrow 'oh really' look as Katie abandoned her entirely and climbed up on Logan again. It seemed she had a good idea of what was going on. Logan glanced up at Kurt with a clear 'this is what I was talking about' expression.

Kurt sighed and looked just as lost as Logan did as he stepped in closer. "Katie, did you have fun with Margali today?" he asked her quietly.

Katie beamed up at him with a broad grin.

"I'm glad," Kurt said. He took a breath. "Do you think you'd like to stay here with her? She would love to have more days like this with you."

Her smile slipped a bit before she looked up at Logan, then over to Margali. "What about everyone else? Are you going to stay?"

"Amanda and Stefan live here too," Kurt said, and the twins waved. "Do you think you can keep them out of trouble for me? They're my brother and sister, and I don't live here anymore, so it's hard to keep them in check."

"Will you come visit?" she asked as she looked to the two tall blondes and snuggled into Logan a bit more.

"As often as I can," Kurt said. "My friends and I travel a lot, but I'm sure we'll be back here before you even miss us."

She made a face and shook her head the slightest.

Logan let out a sigh and stood up with the little girl. "Be right back," Logan promised to the group in general as he carried her outside on his hip. He sat down with her on the front steps and tried to do his best to explain it to her. "Katie-girl, your best bet is to stick with Margali and the twins," Logan started to say very quietly. "I gotta go, and you can't go with. It's not safe."

She didn't look like she believed him in the least. "You got rid of a lot of _very bad men_." she told him before she leaned closer to him so that they were almost touching noses. "I'd be safe. My daddy said you were one of the good ones."

He looked visibly taken back for a moment before he shook it off. "Katie..." he told her. "You can't go where I'm headed. I can't keep you close all the time. Just stay here. I'll visit with Kurt when we can get away."

"What makes here any different than where you have to go?"

"Where we have to go has a _lot_ more bad guys in green," Logan told her. "And I can't keep an eye on you while I'm getting rid of them." He let out a sigh. "But those two blondes in there? The twins?" She nodded her head. "They were with me the whole time. They could keep you safe here. They know how. I taught them myself."

Just about then, Kate poked her head out the door, and slid it shut behind her when she found them. "Hey, Katie," she said with a quiet smile. She sat down with her knees tucked up underneath her. "Logan's pretty good at rescuing people, isn't he? He's _really_ good at rescuing Katies."

Katie smiled at her and nodded.

"We gotta let him rescue other people, though," Kate continued. "He rescued me, then he rescued you, and now we've got to go look for other Katies just like us to go rescue. Is that okay with you?"

"Okay," Katie said quietly. "But not _just_ Katies." Her tone was stern at the end. "Other girls too."

"You're very right," Kate agreed with a solemn nod. "We should let him save lots of people who need saving. Can't keep him to ourselves, right?"

Katie nodded in agreement. "You have to come back though," she warned before she gave him a hug that he returned. As he was looking over her shoulder, he mouthed out 'thank you' to Kate.

Kate grinned at him and nodded, then held open the door. "Come on, you two. I'm pretty sure I have to bathe in the 'welcome to the family' hugs, and seeing as Katie'll be hanging out with my future mother-in-law? Gonna need her to be in on all that."

The little girl agreed freely and held both of their hands as Kate led the way inside.

"Did you decide?" Margali asked as she smiled toward the little girl. "Will you stay with us?"

The sassy little girl nodded and made her way straight to Margali. "They promised to come back, so it'll be okay."

"Of course we will," Kurt said quickly. "We have to keep our traveling troupe together, after all." He smiled at Kate as he slipped his arm around her waist. "And get the family together often."

"Plus, I think maybe the twins have adopted Skye as their own," Peter mock whispered to Logan. "They were making plans to spar. You know how that goes."

"Yeah, that's been a constant since the classes, I think," Logan returned in a rumble. "They all need the practice to get it together."

"They're fun sparring partners," Skye said with an open shrug.

"Until they start whining about getting their backsides handed to 'em," Logan replied with a little smirk the twin's way.

"Well, _someone_ stopped playing with us, and Coulson didn't want us being agents," Stefan argued.

"You can get your level one out of the cereal box like Skye did — instant agent," Logan told them as Skye shoved his shoulder.

"That is _not_ how that works," Skye grumbled.

"Walking tour of the Triskellion in fifth grade?" he asked, straight-faced.

"Look, you," she said with no _real_ heat to her tone.

"I won't tell you what Fury offered me," Logan teased quietly over her shoulder.

Skye rolled her eyes at him. "I'll find it out later anyway."

"Pretty sure if you think about it, you'd figure it out." He gave her a little look. "No hacking needed."

"That takes all the fun out of it," she teased.

"At any rate," Kate said, shooting a teasing glare at Kurt. " _Big brother_ over here would like me to stop encouraging these two to learn how to do more than swords." She grinned over at Amanda. "C'mon. She'd be perfect for a bow."

"That's not what I said, Kate."

"I was doing dangerous stuff at age _twelve_ , Kurt. They're older than you were when you were reaped. Come on," Kate teased, hands on her hips.

"Watch it, Elf," Logan mock whispered. "You're in trou-ble."

"Don't I know it," Kurt replied with a laugh before he caught sight of the clock on the mantle and straightened slightly. "Come on, then. I'm sure Coulson's done waiting for us by now."

The Wagners — and Katie — said their quick goodbyes. The twins gave both Peter and Kurt hugs that seemed designed to take all the breath from their bodies, and they positively mobbed Kate from either side, giggling with excitement about their future sister-in-law. Logan knew Kurt must have talked to them, though, because when they approached Logan, they sort of grinned at him. "You didn't tell us _that_ was how you fought the other side. We should team up again next time you're in town," Stefan told him.

"You knew what team I was on," Logan replied. "You still need to keep your left up when you're trying to block."

"I'll remember that," Amanda assured him with a grin.

They were nearly out the door, goodbyes said and hugs distributed, when Margali called out to Logan and made her way over with a gentle smile. "Thank you," she whispered. "Not just for Katie. For my son — for taking care of all of them." She met his gaze and gently rested a hand on his shoulder. "Make sure you take care of yourself as well."

"I didn't do much," Logan said quietly. "They take care of themselves."

"I know they do." She smiled in Kurt's direction as he was tackled in one last twin-hug. "But… thank you anyway."

He kind of nodded and stepped back, his gaze on the ground.

She smiled. "Go on. You have places to be, and I have a son to see off." And with that, Logan didn't waste any time slipping well out of the way.

Logan didn't hear what Margali said to Kate as the two shared a long embrace, but only a second after she said it, Kate all but melted into the older woman in a warm hug that lasted for a good, long while. Still, the hug that Margali gave Kurt was much longer, as if she didn't want to release him, and when Kurt turned back to the group, he was uncharacteristically quiet as they made their way back down the streets.

"This better not be a habit for you, Logan," Peter said at last, breaking the silence. "Picking up strays and making awkward family dinners."

"Hey. _She found me_ , not the other way around," Logan defended. "How many damn times do I have to say it?"

"If you say so." Peter grinned and then dropped back a little so that Kate and Kurt were ahead of them. He leaned over in a true whisper. "I think you did it on purpose, once the twins popped up all … trouble and swashbuckling junior."

"Shut up," Logan growled at him. "I thought they were smart enough not to be doing this crap."

Peter grinned again, lazily. "If you say so… but seeing as they said you _taught_ them, you can't be surprised."

Logan let out a groan as they made their way closer to the transport and the waiting group of operatives. They loaded the plane in silence, though Logan got more than a few nervous glances from the smaller kids — and a few of the bigger ones too that had seen him tearing through the Hydra crowd.

"Don't worry," Kate confided to Logan at a nearly silent whisper. "We won't tell anyone about the fact that little girls use you as their own personal teddy bear bodyguard."

"She's not the first," Logan admitted very quietly to her, though Skye was mouthing 'space heater' over his shoulder.

"This doesn't surprise me at all." Kate grinned. "Look at my face. Not surprised."

"She _is_ the first to do it with me looking like _this,_ though." Logan pointed out as he shook his head and looked at what was left of his destroyed uniform. "Gotta be a one-time deal."

"It's because she's a Katie." Kate grinned. "Special circumstances."

"Both were orphans," he mused quietly. "Do I have a sign on my back?"

"I'm sworn to secrecy on that count," Kate told him. "You're not allowed to know about the sign."

"It's true; I've seen it. I think it's genetic," Skye agreed with a little smirk.

He gave them both a look and shook his head. "You two encouraged her at the house, didn't you?"

"Only a little bit." Skye grinned.

"You both needed it," Kate added.

"Lies," Logan muttered as Fitz made his way over to switch out the collar for the magnetic bracelets.

"I've already collected the switches," he told him. "But I don't think you needed it." He was whispering the last part. "Not from what we've been hearing from others in the field, even if you did scare the stuffing out of a few of them."

Logan let out a shaky breath and nodded before he looked to Skye and then to his uniform. "Nowhere near a record."

"Yeah, you're not missing nearly enough," she teased at a whisper over his shoulder. "Shame."

"Maybe next time," he countered. "When Kamala's not around."

"We could skip the fighting Hydra part entirely if it's just us."

"You got a lead on Vic?" he asked.

She gave him a dry look. "What, I gotta find you a fight to get the shirt off?"

"If it's just the shirt, no. They seem to disintegrate and fall off on their own."

"Well, what about the rest of it?" she teased.

"Have to deal with that yourself," he countered, keeping the poker face. "Probably not on the plane though. Or … not until I'm _actually_ cleared."

"Seeing as I'm _director,_ I think we can do that easy enough."

"You haven't gotten enough box tops for that; you know that."

She rolled her eyes and stole a kiss. "So you're saying you _don't_ want me as your superior officer — and you'll find any excuse to keep it that way."

"Sweetheart, you could be director and you still won't be my SO," he replied. "Because I'm not in SHIELD. More like an independent contractor."

"Then you can clear yourself, Mr. Self-Employed," she teased.

He smirked and leaned a hair closer. "If you're waiting for my okay, it probably ain't ever gonna happen."

She rolled her eyes at that and leaned forward for a very involved kiss as an answer rather than trying to argue the point anymore.


	19. Hey, Spangles, Your Friend is in Trouble

**Chapter 19: Hey, Spangles, Your Friend Is in Trouble**

* * *

 _November 5_

 _Tahiti Wing_

* * *

There were still plenty of pieces to be picked up after everything that had gone down in District Nine, and since it had been an all-hands-on-deck kind of situation, that meant plenty of reports as well. Coulson was busy, the kids were busy… but somehow, Wade managed to find the Star Spangled Man and pull him aside to let him know that there was something _very important_ he just _had to hear_.

"Wade, what are you—"

Wade shushed Steve and put a hand over his mouth. "Shh. This is very good news. Possibly. Or very very bad news. Depends on how much like our stabby friend your one-armed friend is…"

"Wade," Steve said around Steve's hand.

"Well, I _was_ gonna... See, Hydra's sniper shot _my_ future brother-in-law, Luke Cage. I had the head shot, but noooo, I saw it was your friend with the L'oreal locks of brown…"

"I'm sorry, what are you talking about, Wade?" Steve asked as he frowned at him deeply. "What … _who_ are you talking about?"

Wade put on a very concerned expression as he threw an arm around Steve's shoulders. "Well, the good news, _mon Cap-i-tan_ , is that your best friend Bucky ain't dead. The bad news is that he's minus one arm and plus a Hydra uniform. Details, right?" he said in a close whisper.

"Is this another one of your crazy stories? Because if it is, it's not funny, Wade."

Wade put a hand over his heart and leaned back with his eyes closed. "You wound me, Captain. Would _I_ pull your leg about something _this_ important as your bestest best friend in the whole wide multiverse? _Would_ I?"

Steve raised an eyebrow at that. "I think we need to see if there's any video confirmation. Maybe something came up on SHIELD's satellites."

"Good, good. Sound strategy, Cap," Wade said, nodding along to every word. "We should pro-o-o-o-bably get ol' Stark on it, because our usual video editor is with her samurai lumberjack heater, and that is currently too important to break up."

"It's about time," Steve said with a little smirk. "He gets too serious when he's alone for that long."

"You have _no-o-o-o-o_ idea," Wade said with an overly serious expression for just a moment before he slapped Steve on the back and turned him by the shoulders. "C'mon, Cap. Let's see if we can find your one-armed male model so he can stand next to you at the wedding and do the murder glare at the 'speak now' part."

Steve had to shake his head at that, but the two of them headed down to see Tony all the same.

* * *

 _Hydra Base_

* * *

The reports coming in from the operation in District Nine didn't look good for Hydra at all. Not only had they not managed to capture or kill a single one of the victors or Tahiti kids, but it was also _more_ than confirmed that Logan was alive and well and back to fighting _for_ SHIELD.

Bobbi was sure that Baron Von Strucker would find a way to blame her for every single bit of that, too, but for the moment, she was busy yelling at his son, Werner, to get her the file on their injured sniper, the one Essex had leant to Hydra before he got a fistful of claws in his chest.

"And find me a mechanic or something — like I know the first thing about prosthetic metal arms," Bobbi grumbled his way. "More trouble than he's worth… don't even know what file… Jack or … it started with a J, right?" she asked distractedly as she thumbed through her notes and a few different tools. "He's one of Petrovich's, and the man's handwriting is _atrocious_."

"James," Werner said as he found the right file and pushed it her way. "Didn't you watch the Quarter Quell?"

"I had better things to do than keep track of every kid's name that was going to die," Bobbi grumbled with a wave of her hand. "Mine died in the bloodbath anyway; I didn't _need_ to do anything after that."

"Anything else you need right now?" he asked in a sullen tone.

"Unless you know how to deal with that metal contraption…"

"I'll let the research division know they need to get on it," he said before he finally turned and walked away. But her little reprieve was short-lived as he passed two heads of Hydra as they came to find out exactly what had happened on that strike: Viper and his father.

"This is _not_ how this was supposed to go," Viper said before the other two could speak.

"No kidding," Bobbi said, shaking her head.

"I _should_ be a widow by now, I am disappointed in … all of this," Viper said, looking over the reports and the looped video feeds. "How could this have happened? I thought the process was bulletproof."

"I don't even know how he survived his run on Fury, let alone how they… _undid_ all the _weeks_ we poured into that," Bobbi said grumpily. "By all accounts, he should be dead, SHIELD should have been scrambling, and at _least_ half of SHIELD's leadership should have been caught up in the massacre."

"But none of that has come to pass," Schmitt said, watching Bobbi more than the screens.

"I've been over my notes, Whitehall's notes — everything says the outcome should have been _exactly_ as planned," Bobbi defended. "There is literally no reason for it."

"You said that before, he refused to help Viper in her lab as well, Miss Morse," Von Strucker pointed out.

Bobbi waved her hand. "And we figured out what was wrong there and learned from it — direct orders, no wiggle room."

"Well what, _exactly_ ," Von Strucker said gesturing to some pretty raw footage of Logan destroying a knot of Hydra soldiers, "is the loophole he is so obviously using here?"

"Not him. SHIELD." Bobbi scooped up a remote and zoomed in on the image. "Or didn't you notice the shock collar?"

That got Viper to take pause and raise one eyebrow. "Effective … simple. Instant punishment."

"We should use it for some of ours," Bobbi agreed with a smirk before she turned toward the Skull. "I don't know how they subdued him, but _this_ is how they're using him. So much for their freedom-touting crusade."

"When we recover him, we'll have to find out their methods before we dispose of him," Schmitt replied. "However, he didn't do this alone. What happened with the rest of the failures? It seems it was a total breakdown that only drained us of valuable resources."

"That I can't answer," Bobbi said, though she glared Von Strucker's way. "The strategy was sound, and we cut SHIELD's main forces off in the Capitol. The baron's forces _should_ have been able to take a handful of children and some victors with no backup."

"There were more than a handful of children," Von Strucker defended hotly. "There should have been more than just foot soldiers facing them. Clearly, they are better trained than we thought."

"Well, there is the problem then," Bobbi said haughtily. "Perhaps if you lead from the front, we wouldn't be having this discussion."

Schmitt very nearly cracked a smile as he thought it over. "Yes, perhaps that's what we need, Baron. Take a personal interest in this. As I understand it, they have one who fancies himself a swordsman. You can start there." He gave them both a bit of a harsh look. "Miss Morse, see what you can do to hunt down that loose end," Schmitt said, gesturing to the screens. "I'm sure you'd like to pick his brain to see what they did."

"Absolutely," Bobbi agreed fervently.

"Don't get too attached this time," he said as he turned to leave. "I have a shallow grave picked out for him."

* * *

 _Fury's Hidden Base_

* * *

"You know," Fitz said as he caught up with Skye after most of the chaos of the big mission had died down, "if you need help with the box tops, Simmons and I can pitch in."

"You are so not funny right now," she said, shaking her head as she cracked open a bottle of water.

"Is that any way to speak to your superior officer?" he teased, grinning even wider as Skye shot Simmons a look that said how clearly she was annoyed with her friend for spilling the details of Logan's teasing.

"Shut _up_ ," she replied, pushing him in the shoulder. "You are _so_ not my superior officer."

"He has more box tops," Simmons giggled. "And _we_ went to the Academy."

She goggled at them for a moment. "You are _not_ bringing that up again, are you? Because … I … I have _real life experience._ "

"It's okay," Fitz said with a false tone of conciliation. "That's not something they look at in the box top competition, but _we_ appreciate it all the same."

"Did you ever stop to think for a minute that this whole _ridiculous_ box top thing is just … a deflection or something?" Skye pointed out. "You know, since he doesn't like actual SHIELD agents. Apparently."

"He seems to like me just fine," Fitz argued.

"And he did pick Agent May to keep track of him," Simmons added before she leaned closer to stage whisper, "She's a Level _Seven_ , by the way. Went to the Academy too."

"Shut up," Skye grumbled, shaking her head at both of them.

"D'you know what I think it is? I think it's just planning for the _future_ ," Fitz said with a teasing sparkle in his eyes. "Jemma told me about the tiny girl in Nine, Skye."

Skye gave him a flat look. "And what would you know about that, Romeo? You get someone to draw you some pictures to explain how that works yet?" She shook her head and scrunched up her nose. "Besides, she … _she came to him._ Not the other way around."

"You sound just like him," Simmons giggled.

"Well … that's because _that part_ is true," she said, crossing her arms. "Maybe he's just recruiting for his army of little girls. They're dangerous. Ask Sin. I read the reports."

"Like you had to read anything," Fitz chuckled. "You lived with half the army, at least, didn't you?"

"I have not _lived_ with half the army … or … any of it," she said, looking entirely unamused.

"You lived in Logan's house, which is their base, isn't it?" Simmons teased.

"First of all — it so is _not_ ," she replied, shaking her head and trying not to smile. "And second of all … I was not there long enough to consider it living there." She was looking at the floor by the time she finished. "And … we were camping for most of it anyhow."

Fitz and Simmons both glanced at each other delightedly and then grinned her way. "Oh, you were, were you?" Fitz asked gleefully.

"Hey. We weren't even _dating_ when I was there," she defended. "I had my own room. Come on."

"Mmmhmm," Fitz said with a grin.

"If you say so," Simmons sang out.

"It's _the truth,_ " Skye replied, totally unamused.

"It _was_ ," Fitz said. "Go back there now and see how true it is."

"That … sounds like a good idea," she replied, trying to give them both a stern look.

Simmons beamed at her and made a little shooing motion. "Well? Go move in. I'm sure there are rooms for the little girls too."

"Oh, ha ha," Skye replied. "We can't even go back there until SHIELD clears it. Not after all that mess with Viper and the Royals going after him. Or didn't you get that memo?" She stopped and looked them both up and down. "When are you two going to come _stay with us_ for the weekend? We can go out camping and give you some privacy with no wifi."

"And leave the lab?" Simmons asked with a scandalized look that was only half pretended.

"Oh, that's it. I'm going to have Coulson _make_ you two take a break. I'm sure Logan will help tranq you both so we can lock you in a cabin somewhere alone," she said before she started to smile widely. "With nothing to do but hang out … and keep warm."

"Oh no. This is like before with the chocolate and the booze and the…" Fitz trailed off and got a funny sort of look on his face.

"Kisses," Skye supplied.

"Yes. Well. There was that too," Fitz said, suddenly shifting a bit more than usual as Simmons looked like she was trying not to look his way too hard.

"You know you're in his sights, right?" Skye asked. "And I'm sure he can come up with some creative way to screw with you."

"So you want us to come with you to the middle of nowhere with the man who has us in his sights," Simmons summarized. "What on earth makes you think we'd agree to that?"

"Besides, we don't need his help," Fitz muttered.

"I don't know; maybe you do if you haven't done _anything_ since Valentines," Skye argued.

"That's not… that's not true," Simmons said, flushing horribly.

"You don't hold hands; you don't even _look at each other_ ," Skye said. "It's pretty obvious you haven't even _tried_ to do more than that one _small series of kisses_. I saw May's picture. I know there was more than one. But come ON." She shook her head and gestured with both hands at them. "You're perfect for each other."

Fitz and Simmons glanced at each other and then almost simultaneously looked away and shook their heads. "We ... have work to do," Simmons said, taking a few steps backwards.

"No one has that much work to do," Skye pointed out. "Not at the rate you two work all the time. You should have more free time than anyone."

The two scientists glanced at each other once more before they seemed to decide something, nodded, and turned back to Skye. "No, no; she means we have work to do right now," Fitz said quickly.

"Follow up on everything that happened out there," she agreed.

"Oh. Oh that … _that_ …" Skye shook her head with a little laugh as she stared up at the ceiling. "Alright. You've forced my hand. I'm telling Logan. I'm going to give him the greenlight for whatever it is he's got brewing up in his very, very _vivid_ imagination for you."

Fitzsimmons both looked alarmed and didn't even try to come up with an excuse before they skedaddled, with Skye chuckling at the whole thing as they left.


	20. Still Somewhat Damaged

**Chapter 20: Still Somewhat Damaged**

* * *

 _November 7_

 _Fury's Secret Base_

* * *

While Charles was looking over the notes Scott had, Scott had somehow wound up with little David, and he wasn't complaining in the least. The little guy was only a few weeks old, but his hair was coming in curly, and he was the easiest baby in the world — hardly ever fussy. Just a whole lot of snuggles and naps.

"How did you manage to stay so close?" Charles asked. "Kurt said he barely saw Logan during the fight, and Skye lost track of him quickly."

Scott shrugged lightly, trying not to jostle the little boy he was holding. "Kurt was with Kate, and Skye's good, but she's more of a hacker than a fighter," he said. "Besides, I know how he fights. He tried to teach us half that stuff anyway — at least, the kids on the roof."

Charles nodded at that. "And did you find that he was an effective teacher?"

"He seemed to do alright with the youngest kids," Scott said honestly.

"But not the older ones?" Charles asked.

Scott tipped his head to the side. "Clara learned a lot — and he's been helping Skye's team and a couple stylists."

"You wouldn't let him help you, would you?" Charles asked.

"I didn't think he could," Scott told him frankly. "I read the room — no one in the Capitol who mattered wanted Logan to win, so his tributes didn't have a chance." He shrugged. "I was right — Quill said the royals were out to stop him too."

"That's utter nonsense," Charles said. "They made it more difficult for him to help you, but when he went in, he didn't get any help from outside the arena. You had as good a chance as anyone else in the top five."

Scott shook his head lightly before he readjusted David, who was starting to make little sounds in his sleep. "At any rate, I've been spending plenty of time with Skye in that room — training when I can. Steve was keeping up with Logan pretty well, too, and I know Clint was watching from the rooftops. I knew where to go, that's all."

Charles was watching him carefully as Scott smiled down at David. "You don't find it easy to take help, do you?"

Scott glanced up at Charles for a moment. "What makes you say that?"

But Charles just smiled lightly to himself. "It's not a criticism," he said. "Just an observation. You prefer to be the one to do the helping, not accept it."

Scott shrugged lightly. "That's just… how it is, Professor. I don't know what to tell you."

"It's a mark of a hardy group, that's all," Charles said. "And something that will come back to bite you again if you can't learn to adjust."

Scott raised an eyebrow as he bounced the slowly waking boy almost without realizing he was doing it. "Well, I've got Mac and Heather and Clara, Professor. I don't really know… I try to listen to Clara, at any rate."

"There is no one here in this group that wants you to fail. And I don't mean simply in the realm of 'part of the team'. You should try giving them a chance."

"Yeah, I've gone out with a few different teams," Scott said. "We haven't really found one that sticks yet after the disaster in Twelve, but you know how it is when you try to come into a group that's already established."

"It hasn't seemed to be a problem for anyone, really," Charles said. "I maintain that any reluctance isn't from the group as a whole. But is there anyone you _don't_ want to work with? Perhaps that would help when Coulson starts figuring out new teams."

"I can work with whoever I need to," Scott said diplomatically.

"Very generous, but not an answer to my question." He took a breath and leaned back. "For instance, Logan has requested _not_ to be around Kamala until he can get a better handle on his control. And although Mr. Barton and Mr. Quill seem to do well together, they have been more or less banned from teamwork after they redecorated Director Fury's office."

"I've seen them work," Scott said with a small smirk. "They're dangerous together, that's for sure."

"There are more," Charles assured him.

Scott let out a long breath and shook his head. "Really, Professor, there's not anyone that I — as long as they're willing to work with me, I want to give it a shot."

"Wonderful," Charles said with a twinkle in his eyes. David was drooling and smiling crookedly at Scott. "I hate to break the two of you up. I have another appointment, so I'll just close your notes. You can stay if you'd like. I have more questions — and this won't take long."

"Sure thing, Professor," Scott agreed, already slipping into a grin as he turned his attention back to David.

When the notebooks were closed, Charles opened the door, and a few minutes later, as Scott was trying to play with David — and keep the gummy smiles going — there was a light knock at the door.

Logan was cautiously watching Scott with the little one as Charles invited him in, and he made his way over to the seat at the far end of the room. "What's on your mind, Charlie?"

"Some good news," Charles said with a light smile. "As of now, there's no need for you to return to the isolation room that you've been staying in. There are a few open rooms left for you to choose from."

Logan stared openly at him for a moment. "No."

"There's no reason to stay there," Charles repeated gently.

Logan looked alarmed as he watched him. "I think you're giving me too much credit."

"On the contrary, I don't think you're giving _yourself_ enough," Charles replied. "You were able to go into a combat zone filled with Hydra and never lost control. Surely sleeping in your own room isn't nearly such an insurmountable task as that."

"But that's what I'm here for," Logan tried to explain. "Destroying the other side. I don't belong around normal people."

Charles let out a sigh and shook his head. "That's _not_ what you're here for, Logan," he said. "As we've been through, many times, you are here for so much more." He held Logan's gaze for a moment, though if he'd meant to hold it in silence, that was ruined by his little boy, who had decided to simply start to fall apart for some reason.

Scott looked alarmed and tried to shush the little guy, until Charles gently scooped up his little redheaded boy, rocked him a few times, and looked at Logan for a moment. "Do you mind?" he asked at the exact same time he set the little guy in Logan's arms and took a step back.

Logan stared at Charles for a moment in disbelief, then looked down at the curly-haired little baby that had simply quit crying and started to _stare_ at him. "Okay … you wanna take him now?" Logan asked, obviously not getting Charles' point.

"It looks like he's perfectly content to stay where he is," Charles said with a smile.

"You're not funny," Logan said as David reached up to put his hand over Logan's mouth. "I don't belong around kids and you know it." He looked up at Charles. "I can't be trusted."

"I disagree," Charles said, leaning back in his seat and not making a move to take David back. "I trust you, your friends trust you — the only person who doesn't trust you is yourself."

"Which … is kind of a key point," Logan replied. He turned to Scott and gave him a look. "He likes you, Summers …"

Scott paused and glanced toward Charles before he settled back in his seat. "I'll take him if he gets fussy again."

"Come on, Slim."

"He's fine with you," Scott said.

Logan looked up to the ceiling for a second then let out a breath and closed his eyes. "This is ridiculous. Why does everyone keep sticking me with little kids?"

"And here it was my understanding that they came to you," Charles said with a twinkle in his eye.

Logan glared at him for a moment, which seemed to delight David. "Susan stuck me with Katie. You stuck me with this one, and the other one _found_ me herself."

"And Elsie and Josh and half the kids in Seven," Scott supplied half under his breath.

Logan glanced his way and let out a breath. "You don't have to be like that just 'cause you don't agree with me. On anything."

"I'm just trying to point out the truth," Scott said, though he was smirking.

"And I didn't go looking for them either," Logan defended. "Elsie found me then dragged the whole flock of 'em with her to be 'friendly' or somethin' like that."

"And if your point is that you can't be trusted, you're doing a marvelous job of disproving it by saying so many come _to_ you so trustingly," Charles pointed out gently. "Children are incredibly accurate judges of character, Logan. And they all seem to gravitate to you. That means something."

Logan gave him a dry look. "You obviously haven't spent much time around the kids in Seven. They're nice to anyone that doesn't get outright violent with them."

"But they don't _trust_ anyone who doesn't earn it," Scott pointed out. "Or are you gonna try and tell me I haven't spent much time around them and don't know what I'm talking about?" he challenged, one eyebrow raised.

"No, but seein' as you aren't in the group he's talkin' about, how about not trying to defend it."

Scott frowned for a moment, glanced to Charles, and then shook his head. "Yeah, sure, I wasn't in the group that hid out in your place all the time. I had a job," he said lightly.

"That's not what I meant, and you know it."

"What do you want me to say, Logan? I already trusted you with my life."

Logan made a face and shook his head. "Can I … go?"

"Go where?" Charles asked.

"Away from this conversation."

"I can go," Scott offered. "Logan's got David anyway—"

"No, stay," Logan said. "I interrupted you, and I don't want to talk about this. At all."

"You didn't interrupt anything," Charles told him.

But Logan didn't want to hear it, and he crossed the little space to Charles and carefully handed David back to him. "I'll see you later," he said to no one in particular on his way _out_.

"I can show you where Skye's room is," Scott offered, getting to his feet himself to catch up to him.

"Going outside," Logan called back. "Unless there's a restriction — then I'm doing it anyhow."

Scott rolled his eyes at that. "Fine. But I'm telling Skye you're officially out of that room. So expect company."

"Gotta find me first," he replied.

"I'll leave that to her — seeing as you actually want _her_ around."

Logan stopped for a second and turned to look at him. "It's not about who _I_ want around, kid."

"Sure seems like it. I bet Kurt could say every word I just did and you'd believe _him_."

"No," Logan said. "I'd believe that _he_ believed it. Doesn't make him right."

"Why's it so hard to get it through your thick head that people trust you?" Scott asked, exasperated.

"I dunno, Scott." Logan let out a frustrated breath as he walked backward a few steps. "Maybe because all I ever do is run out on everyone."

Scott stopped where he was and dropped his chin to his chest for a moment before he shook his head. "You've got to be kidding me," he muttered, then raised his voice. "What, you only listen to me when I'm pissed off?"

"I listen all the time," Logan replied, heading back down the hall again. "Does it bother you that much when I agree with you?"

"Yeah, when you're agreeing with me when I didn't know what the hell I was talking about!" Scott said, exasperated.

"That or you're the only one with an ounce of sense."

"So, what, everyone here's just stupid, right? Kate and Kurt and Parker and Quill — they're just, what, too dumb to know any better?" Scott ground out.

"Can you pause this berating thing until I get the stupid magnets off?"

"You gonna still be this stupid when they do come off?"

"Probably," he countered, still walking.

"Then, no," Scott said, arms crossed. "Seeing as you'll just walk away from an argument you know you'll lose."

"You're being contrary for the sake of being contrary. Cool off and you'll agree with me — even if you don't want to admit it."

"I'm trying to _fix_... " Scott trailed off and shook his head.

"You _can't_ ," Logan all but shouted. "You can't fix ... " He gritted his teeth and gestured openly to himself. "It doesn't _work_ that way." He watched Scott for a moment before he started to walk away again.

Scott stopped, obviously surprised, then clenched and unclenched his hands at his sides. "The professor says it can be done," he said.

Logan came to a stop again, almost irritated by his body language, before he started to shake his head lightly and then turned to face him again. "Why do you even _care_?"

"Because I'm not going to just… stand aside if I can help," Scott said.

"Help someone worth your effort."

"You don't get to decide who I think is worth the effort," Scott shot back.

"You said it yourself, Scott; I'll just disappoint you."

"You haven't done it yet when it counts," Scott said, still with his arms crossed and his body language almost confrontational. "You gonna start now?"

He looked worn out, and the answer wasn't heated in the least. "I left so this … didn't have to happen. Why do you have to push?"

"Somebody's got to," Scott told him. "The kids won't do it because they like you too much, but it's no skin off my nose if you hate me more."

"I don't hate you."

"Well, good," Scott said. "Then you can work with me."

"Tried that; didn't work. I can talk to myself just fine, thanks."

"I wasn't asking for training," Scott said. "I'm offering to work _with_ you."

"And what the hell would we work on that doesn't involve some training?" Logan challenged.

Scott turned to face him with a dry look. "I've been running missions with the Tahiti kids just fine with the training they've got here. I can keep up."

"Those teams are sloppy," Logan replied. "It's just a mish-mash of everyone doing their own thing and hoping they cover each other."

"They trust each other to have their backs," Scott said.

"You're not up to the kind of teams I run on," Logan told him. "Not if you think the rest of the Tahiti kids are running fine."

"Fine — then what do I need to do to get up to par?" Scott asked.

"Stuff your ego and take direction from someone for a change." He narrowed his eyes slightly. " _Trust_ your team leader to run the damn thing."

Scott glared his way for a while before he tipped his head to the side. "Alright, who's in charge?"

"I don't know," Logan said. "I'm not on a team right now, so I don't know what the rosters are."

"They're changing up a bit since the move," Scott admitted with a shrug. "When they get it figured out…" He shook his head. "Look, I'm just trying to work with you."

"I'd like to see what that looks like before I die."

Scott smirked and nodded. "See you in the training room then."

* * *

Skye made her way out of the base with a good coat and some gloves. They were far north of even the borders of Marvel, and it was _freezing_ , but that's where Scott said Logan had gone, so that's where she'd go.

At first, it wasn't hard at all to figure out where he'd been. There were footprints in the deep snow, and she followed those until they stopped at a tree.

But… even after she'd climbed the tree, there was nothing there. No sign of Logan at _all_. And she glared as she looked around the forest.

"Do _not_ make me climb every single one of the trees in this forest, because that is just _mean_ ," she called out into the still evening air.

"You couldn't climb half of 'em," he called out from a few trees over. "What the hell are you doing out here?"

"A little bird told me you were sprung," she said with a crooked grin as she slid out of the tree.

"Little bird, eh? Is he a big pain in my ass? Because that ain't a bird." She was watching the direction his voice had come from and had finally caught sight of him as he moved from one branch to the next.

Skye snorted. "Well, he's no Hawkeye that's for sure. But give him some credit — he's a good partner to tell me when my sweetheart is out giving away all his heat to the _freezing cold_."

"Needed some fresh air after gettin' thrown under the bus," Logan grumbled as he jumped over to the tree across from hers.

"I think you just like freezing your butt off," she said with a grin as she leaned against the trunk.

"I like fresh air and quiet more than I care about heat." He tipped his head to the side slightly. "Unless I've managed to get too cold."

"As long as you don't freeze me…" she teased

"Might want to keep your distance then for a little bit."

"We'll build a fire," she said, grinning wider. "Been a while since we've done that anyway."

"Are there even fireplaces here?" he asked. "My tour was pretty abbreviated."

"There's one in the living room," Skye said. "Which… is also the rec room and the library all wrapped up in one."

"So it's grand central station."

"Depends on the time of day," Skye admitted.

He looked out into the woods for a moment, gauging the time. "Which … I'm guessing it's a little after dinner time, so probably pretty busy then?"

"Probably," she agreed. "But it's pretty much a ghost town past midnight."

He nodded and made a motion for her to move so he could make the last jump. "You sure you want to stay up that late on a school night?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Really, Logan? I'm older than you."

"Yeah, but you're the one savin' box tops."

" _You_ are the one who started that, not me."

"Well, you're not acting very director-ly lately," he defended.

"What, because I want to spend time with my boyfriend? I didn't know being director was like being a nun. If that's the case, no _thank you_."

"How many dates've you seen Fury go on?" he asked. "Because I can only think of two."

"More than I can think of," she said, breaking into a huge grin. "I am definitely going to need stories on those two, though."

"Nope, can't be done," he replied as they started to climb out of the tree. "Gotta be higher clearance. Security reasons. All that."

"Mmhmm." She shook her head at him. "Well, seeing as I'm not director _yet_ , I can go on dates that don't require national security clearance, right?"

"I guess, but associating with my class might wreck your chances at being director," he replied.

"I'll take that chance," she said, shaking her head at him.

"So what else did the little stool pigeon have to say?" Logan had to ask as the slowly started toward the base again.

"Just that you're out of that stupid room for good — _finally_ ," she said, grinning at him as she laced her arm through his. "It was weeks with Hydra, then that stupid room — _finally_."

"Yeah, not a real great track record," he said quietly.

"Just a really crappy couple of months," she agreed.

"And before that, there was other crap," he pointed out. "Can't seem to keep it together for long."

"Well, seeing as you're running out of people to kill after your crappy adventures…."

"There's always more people to kill."

"All the royals're gone," she pointed out. "All that's left is Hydra. You can't say that's not progress." She laid her head on his arm as they walked. "Not that it's, like, a rule or anything that we've got to get rid of _all_ the bad guys before we can do anything. If that were true, I'd _never_ see you, which would royally _suck_."

"Hydra's a never-ending pain in the ass." He shook his head. "They're organized."

"So're we," Skye pointed out.

"Yeah, but they're picking up all the scumballs that are loose in the wind. They've got Red Room people that didn't die, assistants to the Royals, Nova Corp … any jackass with ill intent."

"And we have the best swordsmen in Marvel, a couple Hawkeyes, the best future director of SHIELD of all time — and her boyfriend, the amazing assassin... " She grinned and kissed his cheek. "We don't need the jerks."

"Amazingly _compromised_ assassin," he corrected. "Or didn't you hack those notes yet?"

She smirked at him and leaned in closer. "Oh no; I guess you'll just have to stay with me."

"No way," he said, shaking his head already. "I already wanna punch your AD in the mouth half the time."

"Wait, when did I get an AD?" she laughed outright. "I thought I was still saving box tops!"

"You got an AD when I was in the woods — don't worry, he's saving boxtops too." He looked truly irritated for a moment. "Summers is every bit the pain in the ass that Hill is. In a lot of the same ways."

"Must mean he'll be a good AD," Skye chuckled.

"Yeah, it's on the employment requirements. Contrary. All. the time," Logan said, ticking the attributes off on his fingers. "Gotta micromanage everything. And randomly be _almost_ believably sincere."

"That one must just be Hill, because I don't think mine _can_ lie," Skye laughed.

"Didn't say he could lie _well_ ," Logan argued. "But he lied right to my face."

"About what?" she asked, one eyebrow arched up.

"I'm not doing this again right now. I just got that crap cleared outta my head, and I'll head back out to spend the night in a tree if I gotta listen to it again."

"Look, I just want to know what he's lying about so I know how hard to hit him, that's all."

"I don't need you to hit him, I need you to just forget it."

Skye rolled her eyes and shook her head but shrugged all the same. "Fine, but if he's going to lie to my boyfriend, I need a new AD, is what I'm saying."

"What, you think Hill doesn't lie to Fury's … friend?" Logan challenged.

"How would I know? I don't know Fury's friend."

He smirked and nodded. "Okay, we'll go with that."

"See, now I'm just going to have to hack in, because if he's, like, I don't know, having a secret fling with May, we gotta tell AC before he gets his heart broken."

"It's not May," Logan laughed. "Your parents' virtue is safe."

"Good, because we got them to dance at the wedding, and it was beautiful. Which … reminds me." She pulled on his arm to get him to stop and face her. "We're going to need to do something about Fitzsimmons, because I don't think they've done _anything_ since Valentine's."

"What the hell are you talking about?" he asked, frowning deeply. "They were kissing. They had to."

"And May got the pictures for proof, yeah. But nothing since then."

"But they were holding hands after ... " Logan shook his head. "That's like … third base for them."

"I'm telling you — they hardly even look at each other too long. I don't know if it's just that they're chicken or what, but the level of longing looks at that lab is master level."

"How mad would you be if I kissed her?" he asked with a little smirk.

"If it was for a good cause?" she countered. "Not very."

"Because … strictly speaking, it wouldn't be a stretch for pretty much anyone to think I'd just … lost my mind."

"I don't know. They've been watching your progress. They might not believe it," Skye pointed out.

" _They_ have," Logan said. "Which would make it harder for them to blow off. Everyone else …" He shrugged lightly. "Besides, she's been on eggshells trying to not freak me out. So it's kinda … it'd wake her up."

"It could," she agreed. "I was thinking about locking them somewhere in Seven for longer than a few hours…"

"Oh sure," he said, nodding. "Pretty sure I can get Fury to let me off the hook if I ask. Just gotta watch the weather …"

"I wouldn't mind getting snowed in," she teased.

"That's the whole point," he agreed. "Snow 'em in so they can't go anywhere. No wifi. No electricity." He put both hands out as if it was obvious.

"So ... can we get a house to get accidentally snowed into while we're at it? Because this is sounding better and better."

"Pretty sure I can ask for a team to clear one," he replied.

She beamed at him and wrapped her arms around his neck to kiss him. "I like this plan so much."

"I'll ask Tasha to take care of clearing things," he said. "Pretty sure she and her 'partner' might need a few days of off-base work."

"Oh, you've got your sights set on _them_ too?" Skye asked, the laughter obvious in her tone. "Good luck."

"They did it to themselves," he defended. "Just got to wait for Bobbi to get back and crush him — and she will."

"You seem pretty sure," Skye said. "But consider this: when she was in Tahiti, he was getting her jewels — and I'm pretty sure there was an 'I love you' in there at some point."

He started to shake his head seriously. "Not the same girl anymore. Sure as hell not the same girl I knew."

"You're the same guy as before — mostly," she pointed out.

"No I'm not," he argued. "And I wasn't the one doing the work."

"Fair point," she admitted with a sigh.

He rolled his neck and came to a stop again. "I'm _tired._ Wanna sleep for three days. Point me."

She grinned and took his hand. "Got a queen in a room within walking distance of my office. Come on. I even picked up all the laundry."

"Think I might need a change of clothes," he said with a little look.

"We'll get you some later if you think you _need_ them," she said with a smile.

"Only if you don't want me traumatizin' Kamala," he said with a shrug.

"I've still got a few of your flannels — just need to pick you up some jeans and stuff," she said.

"Lead the way, hopeful-director." He tipped his head her way. "You should know there're others in the running."

"Like _who_?" she asked, aghast.

"I think Tasha'd be pretty good."

Skye paused. "She… yeah. Actually, yeah, she would be," she had to admit.

"Or your dad."

"Oh, Coulson's definitely higher on the list, but I think Fury will outlive him out of spite," Skye said with a crooked grin.

"He might outlive him, but he won't die director," Logan said. "He wants to see it through to stability. Or … relative stability."

"He's gonna be director for a real long time," Skye said, shaking her head.

"He better hope not," he argued. "That girl of his wants a break. And more than two dates every blue moon."

"Seriously. Who is this person?" Skye asked, shaking her head.

"Can't tell you," he said with a shrug. "Just gotta spend more time in the office."

She tipped her head to the side to study him and then laughed. "Later," she decided. "After we sleep for three days."

He put his arm around her and pulled her in close as they headed down the hall — for the first time in far too long.


	21. Shanghai'd

**Chapter 21: Shanghai'd**

* * *

 _November 10_

 _Fury's Secret Base_

* * *

Kate was not a morning person, but for this particular occasion, she would make an exception. Even at three in the morning. She had a secret meeting to get to, and she knew her partner in crime would bring the coffee, so all she had to do was drag herself out of bed and get to the hangar and meet him there.

She brought the small makeup bag that Jubilee had provided for her so that she could spruce herself up on the way, and she also tucked away a small panic button that Coulson had insisted she take with her while she was out, because he didn't want her getting stranded out there.

She was trusting Kitty to have the snacks packed as well as anything else they might need, so all that was really left was to do the actual, well, kidnapping part.

When she met up with Clint in the hangar, he pointed out the plane that he'd picked out for them to use and explained at a low whisper that he'd already cleared her flight plan with all the right people, so all she had to do was make sure she didn't crash into anything or anyone and bring the plane back in one piece. He would handle the rest.

She nodded and then grinned at him, her head tilted in a silent question as she raised her hands to her ears and pointed both fingers up.

He nodded and showed her the key card that he had "borrowed" from Coulson (she still wasn't convinced Coulson hadn't just _let_ him have it) that would let him inside without tripping any alarms.

She almost felt bad about the heart attack that she _knew_ Clint was going to give Kurt, but it was going to be so worth it that she didn't even care.

He wouldn't be expecting it. She knew it, because she'd been planning this for a _long_ time, and because it was still an entire day before Kurt's birthday. She was springing it early. Just for added surprise and terror.

She slipped into the plane, and Clint double-checked all of her pre-flight protocols before he nodded to her and left. She thought she spotted Natasha somewhere out there as well, but only for a second.

Kate settled down in the pilot's seat with the coffee Clint had provided, a mirror, and some makeup. Now, she just had to wait for her plans to unfold.

* * *

Clint had been looking forward to this for _days_ now. It wasn't often that he was asked, outright, to cause this much trouble — and be allowed to get away with it. This was like...Christmas or something.

He slipped very quietly down the hallway, grinning from ear to ear, before he reached Kurt's door and slid the key card through. It opened the door noiselessly, and he heard Natasha slip in behind him. She was there in case, as she pointed out, scaring a kid trained to fight hand-to-hand was just as dumb an idea as it sounded.

Kurt was dead to the world, though, so Clint was pretty sure this was going to be an easy grab. The only tricky part would be getting the blindfold on him before he saw anything. Kid was fast.

Luckily, Kurt seemed to have wrapped himself slightly in his own blanket, so Clint used that to his advantage. When he pounced, he had Kurt's arms pinned under the blanket before he had a chance to react.

Kurt tried to kick him and gave a sharp shout of surprise. But Kate was good; she'd quietly suggested to the kids on either side of Kurt's room that they ignore anything happening tonight unless it sounded like a _real_ emergency and not Kurt getting the daylights scared out of him.

Kate was good.

Clint was pretty sure Natasha was laughing as she watched him secure the blindfold around Kurt's eyes before he cheerfully declared, "We invite you to join us for an all-expense-paid trip in your honor!" in a voice that, he hoped, sounded nothing like he was dying of laughter.

Kurt stopped struggling for a second and tried to turn his head. "What's going on?" he managed to ask before Clint dragged him out of bed and onto his feet.

"No way, Kurt. Can't tell you that or I'll get in trouble with the boss lady. Now stay blindfolded or I'll make this a real kidnapping," he said, marching Kurt forward and out of the room, still wearing his pajamas. (Kitty had packed clothes; they had thought of everything, Clint was pretty sure.)

Natasha helped him get Kurt down to the hangar without running into anything — and she watched to make sure Kurt didn't try to remove the blindfold, either.

"What time is it?" Kurt asked as they continued their march, and Natasha smirked over his shoulder at Clint.

"You can sleep on the way there, if you want," Clint assured him. "We just gotta get you to your, ah, magic carpet ride or something."

The impressive part was the fact that Kate somehow managed to stay deadly silent, despite the fact that she was clearly on the verge of breaking into laughter, as they loaded Kurt into the seat next to her, and Natasha checked the blindfold one more time to make sure it was securely fastened.

"Thank you for flying Kidnap Air," Clint said. "Our stewardess has coffee to your left if you want it, but you have a few hours' flight ahead of you, and your pilot isn't very talkative right now, so you can catch your beauty sleep if you want it. Or not. Up to you. Only rule is no peeking, and trust me, you don't want to try and sneak anything past your pilot."

Kate gave him a look that clearly read she was annoyed with him for how closely he was jeopardizing her identity and nearly making her laugh.

Kurt still looked a little dazed and tired and very confused, but he was smiling, and it was clear that he was going to play along, so Clint flashed Kate a goofy grin and a thumbs-up, and Natasha waved with that same look — like she was trying not to laugh.

A few minutes later, he watched Kate take off in their little plane, and he grinned over at Natasha. "We should do this professionally," he said.

"We do," she countered.

"Yeah, but this is more fun." He yawned and grinned at her. "I'm bushed. All this secret agent stuff will wear you out. I don't think I'm cut out for it."

She rolled her eyes. "Go to _sleep_ , Clint," she said, her usual sign for him to shut up and stop being an idiot.

* * *

It was hard to stay quiet for so long when Kurt had a smile on his face and was sitting that close to her, but Kate had _plans_ , and she was not about to go giving away the ballgame.

He had eventually fallen asleep, she supposed after the initial adrenaline of being kidnapped had worn off, and Kate took another long sip of coffee. She'd told him she wanted to go to sleep early because she was still sore from that last training exercise they ran yesterday, but still, even six hours of sleep was pulling at her eyes.

They were only going one district over, but they weren't in a rush, and she didn't want Kurt to figure out anything about her surprise based on proximity — and also, he was asleep, and she didn't think it would be nice to wake him. So she flew lazily over the flat, grassy plains below them and set down on the outer bounds of District Nine as gently as she could. Landings were still not her favorite thing in the world.

She reached back to fish out the set of clothes that Kitty had packed for Kurt and laid them neatly over her chair as she grabbed her bag full of supplies and sneaked carefully out of the plane, grinning to herself the entire time. Only once she was sure she had everything she needed did she sneak back, carefully remove the blindfold, and then leave. When Kurt woke up, he would see nothing but the tarp she had placed over the windows, and she'd left him a note telling him to get dressed and then signal with the earwig she'd left for him when he was ready.

She busied herself with setting up the campfire, gathering stones and twigs and leaves. There weren't as many trees here as there were in Twelve, but she would make do with what she had, and she'd come prepared. She laid out the small breakfast that Kitty had packed for them, nodded to herself, and then looked out over the small camp she'd made. Yes, this looked about right.

The sun would be rising soon, and she had a backup plan involving a little noisemaker arrow Clint had ridiculously insisted Tony make because he was _five_ , but she heard the slight tapping of a signal over her communications and knew that Kurt was awake, so she grinned and rushed back to the plane, letting down the ramp so that a now dapperly-dressed Kurt could step outside into the dawn air.

He grinned when he saw her, and she made a mental note to thank Jubilee for the purple knit dress and scarf that she had provided, as well as for the leg warmers, because wow, it was cold outside this early in District Nine. He looked amazing as well, in a nice shirt and sweater vest that Jubilee had designed for him to accentuate all his new muscles.

She offered her hand to him the way he usually did to her with a grin that she couldn't quite contain. "I trust my minions weren't too rough on you this morning?" she asked sweetly, and when he gave her a _look_ , she just laughed.

It was still relatively dark as she led him back to the campfire she'd set up, so she wasn't quite sure he had placed where they were. He was also pretty tired, and she poured the coffee from one of several thermoses Clint had packed as they ate in companionable silence and watched the sun rise.

It was nothing like a sunrise in Twelve, which filtered in through trees and soot and came in spurts of bits of color before it fully reached the top of the sky. Nine was open, grassy and bare, and the entire spectacle was clear to see for miles around, blues turning to purples turning to pinks turning to reds and then orange and then yellow at last as the sun broke through, and she leaned her shoulder against Kurt's chest and sighed.

"Kate," he said slowly, and she looked up at him with an impish grin. "Where are we?"

"Well," she said, and she pointed along the path she already planned to take him. "If you go about a mile thataway, I think you'll find some places you might recognize."

He shook his head at her, grinning from ear to ear. "How… Are we AWOL?"

"Oh no," she said. "You have a reputation to uphold, mister. I would never let _you_ go AWOL. Coulson knows… Well, he knows I'm stealing a plane, and he knows we'll be back before the end of the day."

He shook his head again, like he couldn't quite believe it, and she leaned further over until she toppled into his lap so he could grin down at her some more.

"Happy birthday," she told him, and he laughed.

"You're a day early, Kate."

"Yes. I got impatient." She gave him a smug sort of smile, and for a while, there was just the sunrise and the silence of a new morning over the grassy plains.

"So," he said at last. "I'm assuming you have plans."

"Oh yes," she promised. "I am turning into a super secret spy." He snorted at that, and she rolled herself forward until she was on her feet again. "Come on," she said. "Let's clean up here, and then I have been reliably informed that there's a big tree that needs climbing."

They put out the last of the campfire, and Kate packed up the coffee and other food supplies in her bag before they headed off. She laced her fingers through his and led him on the path in the direction she knew they were supposed to go before he saw the outer edges of the district, and then _he_ was the one leading, an excited sort of grin on his face.

They caught a few strange looks the closer they got to the district, because Kate was good, but she wasn't "tell the entire district we're coming without accidentally alerting any bad guys" good, but she couldn't do anything about that. And besides, Kurt didn't seem to mind much as he led her through the streets of his hometown until they reached the climbing tree, and Kate was only slightly hampered by Jubilee's dress as she pulled herself into the upper branches. Though she might have pretended she was more hampered so that Kurt could help her climb.

She draped herself over the branches and beamed at him before she asked him to tell her about the tree, about his home, about anything, really. He cheerfully obliged, and she beamed at him. His excited smile was her favorite thing about him.

She saw a flash of blonde hair at the edge of her vision and grinned. Time for Phase Two.

This had been the trickiest part to set up, because it was hard to get transmissions through when Fury was trying to keep them as hidden as he was. So she'd had to get a little creative in asking for Skye's help without telling her exactly what for. Tony had helped, too. Kate didn't know what Natasha had either promised or threatened Tony with — it depended entirely on whether or not Tony was civil to Natasha, really — but whatever it was, he'd been able to set up a basic relay. Just a few simple messages.

And Kitty had been helpful, too. She'd known where to send the kids for the maximum surprise value.

She started to climb out of the tree, Kurt just beside her, and she dropped to the ground ahead of him on purpose so that, when two blonde and grinning "assassins" jumped out at her, Kurt was still one branch above her.

"Oh no, Kurt!" she cried out, trying very hard not to laugh as she allowed Amanda to "drag" her away. "Help me!"

Kurt was already laughing even as Stefan stood with his arms crossed in front of Kurt and did his best impression of intimidating as he informed his older brother that if he was going to get Kate back, he was going to have to prove himself worthy of rescuing his princess from her tower.

Amanda was already giggling, and Kate tried to shoosh her as they ran through the streets. Kate handed Amanda her bag of tricks and sent the younger girl running up ahead of her to set the gamut for Kurt, and then she found herself a nice perch so she could watch and help direct, if needed.

Kitty had been instrumental in helping Kate set up the "challenges" for Kurt, because Kitty knew what books Kurt read growing up, and he'd also told her about some of the books he'd read since the Games, since Charles seemed to always have a ready supply for anyone who wanted to read.

There had been something about a forest of silver and gold and some dancing princesses, but Kitty couldn't remember the details, so they made it up as they went along. Amanda was in charge of the dancing part, challenging Kurt to sweep her off her feet and prove himself a worthy champion of dancing or something — it was very dramatic, and she only burst into giggles once.

Kurt, on the other hand, had not stopped laughing since this began, and Kate watched with a growing smile as he swept his little sister up and danced her around the streets as his brother clapped a rhythm behind them.

When Kurt finished with a flair and a dip, Amanda awarded him a "golden apple," which was really just a normal apple Kate had pinched from the cafeteria, but beggars can't be choosers.

Kate followed along above their heads, keeping low to the rooftops and only trying to be sneaky insofar as she was pretty sure Kurt was paying more attention to his younger siblings than the rooftops, but she was having too much fun watching him with those two.

When the three siblings reached another relatively clear street, Stefan declared that Kurt would have to prove himself in combat, and Amanda supplied the wooden swords. It was clear to Kate, who had seen Kurt swordfight before, that he was allowing Stefan to push him back for the first little while before Amanda squealed and said, "You're going to lose your princess!" and he gave them both the most ridiculous grin before he disarmed Stefan with a swish and a flourish.

She laughed into her hand. That was Kurt. Her Kurt: the showboat.

They were getting closer to the residential district now, and as Amanda made her next challenge — a set of riddles that Kate had no idea the answer to because Amanda had been in charge of that part of the game — she slipped off of the roof and headed for her "tower."

Stefan met her at the yard — she didn't know what he had done to slip away, but Kate was sure that Amanda was a sufficient distraction anyway — and gave her a wink as he led her around back of the house and motioned for her to wait.

This... This was the part Kate had been waiting for. Because the last "task" Kurt had to complete was to navigate a "maze" past the "tower guardian." Which basically meant he had to hug his mom and come inside, and then Stefan would let Kate in through the back door. Semantics.

She heard Kurt's knock on the door, followed by a whole lot of giggling and laughter from inside, and when Stefan finally let Kate inside, the entire Wagner family was in a fit of smiles and giggles, and Kate couldn't help but join in.

"Well?" Amanda said, pushing Kurt forward a slight step. "Go rescue your princess!"

Kurt grinned and, in a few steps, crossed to Kate to sweep her up into his arms. And at Amanda's encouragement, he kissed her before he set her back down.

Kate had come prepared, and her bag was filled not only with toy swords and a golden apple but with the makings of a meal. All five of them were soon engrossed first with eating the feast Kitty had prepared for them and then with trading stories and enjoying the most familial atmosphere Kate had _ever_ experienced. Which was good, seeing as she was going to _be_ a Wagner soon. Ish. Whenever they got around to that.

A few hours later, filled with good food and some really amazing stories that Kate was sure Kurt could have lived without hearing again — but which were actually really endearing, she assured him — they had to be on their way, because Kate had promised to get their plane back to base before the end of the day, and they still had to hike back to where it was parked.

Both Amanda and Stefan came at Kate and Kurt from either side, and what followed was a very squished and very fun hug as both Kate and Kurt were trapped by a circle of long arms. Not that they tried very hard to get out.

Margali hugged them both as well. When she hugged Kate, she whispered a soft "thank you." Kate tried to laugh it off and thank her right back for letting Kate commandeer both her kids and her home, but Margali kept right on hugging her instead of listening to her.

Kurt got another round of hugs while Kate headed for the doorway, and Kate couldn't help the grin that took her entire face as she watched him go down in yet another tangle of arms and legs that was his siblings.

"Goodbye, my darling," Margali told him as she grabbed him for one last hug. "Come back to us soon."

Kurt's eyes were shining as he took Kate's hand and allowed her to lead him away from his childhood home, and Kate pulled him closer so she could thread their arms. "You okay, oh brave hero of mine?" she asked him quietly.

" _Wunderbar_ ," he told her, reaching around her so that he could grab her other hand and pull her around to face him. She stopped, grinning, and when he kissed her, she was pretty sure she could hear faint giggling from the general vicinity of the house they'd just left.

He stopped, looked over his shoulder with a careless grin, and then shrugged and kissed her again.

It was a much slower trek back to the plane this time, as they kept pausing. Kurt looked like he was about to burst, and Kate just couldn't stop grinning at him. She would have bounced on the tips of her toes if they'd been walking at a more normal pace.

When at last they reached the plane, Kurt raised both his eyebrows at her and laughed. "So _this_ is why you've been logging all those flight hours in small craft with Ororo," he said.

"And you thought I was just trying to stay busy," she teased him. "I piloted this thing like a dream — you slept the whole way."

"I was very rudely awakened," he pointed out, "and I was very tired. I could have slept through a small storm."

"Are you questioning my piloting skills?" she teased him.

"I'll save that question for when we return home — safely, I hope," he shot back, and she laughed at him.

* * *

It was late enough when they returned that most everyone had already dispersed for their usual nighttime routines. But there was a small figure waiting in the hangar for them when they arrived, and as they stepped out of the plane, Kitty waved at both of them, positively beaming.

"Did it work? Was he surprised?" Kitty asked, and both of them laughed and nodded. "Good. I'll have you know I worked hard."

"Exactly how many other people knew about this?" Kurt asked

Kate looked thoughtful. "Well," she said. "Your kidnappers aside, there was also Jubilee. And Coulson, sort of. I think a few other people had _ideas_ , but… I'm very good at being sneaky." She grinned at him.

"You are," Kurt agreed.

Kate laughed at him before she snaked her arm the rest of the way around his waist. "Anything exciting happen while we were gone?" she asked Kitty.

"Well, apparently, there was some kind of disturbance last night. Someone thought they heard a cry for help?" Kitty smirked at Kurt. "It's just a rumor, though."

"Yeah, that was definitely a rumor. There were not any cries for help from anyone," said Kurt.

"And definitely no one needing to be rescued at all from anything," Kate supplied helpfully, still grinning.

"Mm-mm," Kurt agreed, shaking his head.

When Kate stifled a yawn, Kitty laughed and waved them both forward and out of the hangar. "Come on, sleepyheads. You look beat."

"I'm fine," Kate joked. "I can make it another ten minutes at _least_. I have coffee."

"Coffee does not have superpowers, Kate," Kurt pointed out, leading her forward.

"It _should_ ," Kate shot back before she leaned her head over onto his shoulder and then closed her eyes, trusting him not to run her into any walls while they walked back to the residential hall.


	22. He Fancies Himself a Swordsman

**Chapter 22: He Fancies Himself a Swordsman**

* * *

 _November 16_

 _Fury's Secret Base_

* * *

"What do you mean you don't want to stay on the team?" Fury asked with a frown. Of all the eventualities that Fury had prepared for, this wasn't even on his radar for at least another year.

"Two things," Wraith said as he and North leaned back. "The revolution is over. We felled the Capitol, and the royals are not going to be a problem for anyone. Outside of that … "

"You wanted us to train the kids so that they could do this job," North said. "And we did. They're good. They know what they're doing."

"They don't need us, and _you_ don't need Weapon X anymore," Wraith added.

"We're both ready to call it a job well done," North said. "I have a family I'd like to get back to. My daughter … I want to be there for her."

"And," Wraith said hesitantly, "we saw what kind of shape the kid came back in — and we don't want any part of that."

"We all know that was a special case," Fury said.

"You're right," North replied. "If it was one of us, we'd be dead."

Fury let out a sigh. For as much as he hated to admit it, North was probably right. "Alright," he said. "I'll settle up your accounts." He stood up and offered his hand to the two of them. "I appreciate everything you've done."

"We'll be keeping an eye out anyhow," North promised. "Too many of those kids don't have families — still."

* * *

 _November 20_

 _District Six_

* * *

Ever since Wade had told Steve about his best friend in Nine, Steve had been spending almost every moment trying to find him again.

At first, Peggy was the only one there with him every second — not that the rest of the kids weren't helping, but there were other things going on, fights with Hydra, that sort of thing. And besides, he didn't really _need_ anyone else. He trusted Peg to get the info he needed and to get it fast — and she did.

So he was a little surprised when, after Peggy found a decent lead on Bucky — reports of some kind of Hydra compound deep inside Six — he was met by someone else in the hangar on his way to go get his best friend back.

Sam had already prepped the jet and looked like he was just waiting for Steve, so Peggy had probably tipped him off to what was going on. And when they got there, Sam looked over Steve for a moment with a raised eyebrow and a small frown. "So what was your plan here, Cap, just run into the deepest Hydra territory you could find with your shield and a chip on your shoulder?"

"Pretty much," Steve told him. "You coming?"

Sam tipped his head to the side and seemed to size Steve up for a moment before he nodded. "Yeah, sure. I can get you deeper into Six with my flight suit than with the jet, though. How do you feel about being carried, Cap?"

"If it gets me there," Steve said.

Sam smirked. "Let's just hope you haven't been eating too many post-revolution burger rations," he had to tease as the two of them boarded the jet and headed out to the coordinates Peggy was feeding them.

As Sam had promised, he set the jet down far outside of Hydra-controlled airspace, and he showed Steve where to hold on to his flight suit so that he could focus on flying under the radar. He was small enough that Hydra wouldn't pick up the suit, and what's more, he and Tony had been wrenching on the thing in his every spare moment, so the stealth capabilities were pretty darn high.

Under the cover of darkness, it was simply the case that Hydra would only have been able to spot the two of them coming in if they knew exactly where to look. On a moonless, foggy night, they were practically invisible.

Once they landed, Steve glanced over at Sam, and the two of them shared a nod. Judging by the amount of green uniforms they had already seen in and out of the compound, if nothing else, this was something important, and they could get information if they couldn't get Bucky himself. After all, it was just a lead, and not a solid one. Nothing confirmed.

Steve readjusted the grip on his shield straps as the two of them slipped closer to the compound. He drew back and simply bashed the lock of the door with the edge of his shield, slicing through the deadbolts after just a few hits. It was quiet, but in the silent night, it was enough to get the attention of a few guards.

"Move, move, move," Sam muttered under his breath, rushing into the compound with Steve and quickly shutting the door behind them both. They heard the rush of guards outside the door, but the dark and the fog had played to their advantage — it didn't look like the guards had noticed the broken deadbolt, since the door was closed.

Sam let out a breath of relief before he turned to Steve. "Where to next, Cap?"

Steve couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that. Sam was a _victor_. But he'd given command of the mission to Steve... maybe because it was Steve's best friend on the line; he wasn't sure on Sam's reasoning.

"Peg?" he asked, his hand to his ear, but he was frustrated to hear only static there. Hydra wasn't going to let any transmissions in and out of ... wherever they were. He let out a breath and turned to Sam. "Just kick down any door you find that looks like it might be holding people against their will."

"They all look like that, Cap."

"Then we're gonna be kicking down a lot of doors."

The two of them grinned at each other as they did just that — not quite kicking in all the doors, as they were trying to at least pretend that they were being sneaky. Though that ended up failing spectacularly when they burst into one particular door that looked residential only to find Viper and Schmitt himself entirely wrapped up in each other.

Sam let out a strangled almost gurgling noise, and when Steve turned his way, he saw that his new partner looked almost like he was going to turn purple. "I can _never unsee this_!" he declared even as all four of the people in the room were clearly falling into place for a fight. About the same time Viper threw a couple darts his way, Sam ducked and shouted, "Gonna need therapy for the rest of my _life_!"

"At least," Steve agreed, nodding with a somewhat sick look on his face as both of the Hydra leaders only looked more incensed.

"How did you get _in_ here?" Schmitt demanded of the two of them as he hit what looked like a button they probably didn't want him to push — backup, no doubt — at a comm by the desk before he leveled a revolver Steve's way. The room reverberated with the sound of bullets against Steve's shield.

Steve waited until Schmitt was finished shooting at him before he readjusted his grip on the straps and drew back, using the full weight of his body to throw the shield, even across the short distance. The added strength of the throw resulted in a resounding _crack_ that had Viper pausing as she reached for the whip at her hip to fight Sam, her expression one of honest shock as Schmitt let out a howl of pain, his dominant arm _very_ obviously broken and bleeding where Steve had driven his shield into it, the gun useless on the floor.

With an enraged cry, she let the whip crack, the first real strike wrapping itself around Sam's neck before she planted her feet and heaved as hard as she could to draw him closer.

It was clear that she meant to get him into better range for her to nail him with a dart — or worse, a kiss — as it was apparent the green-haired witch was applying a fresh coat of lipstick as the Skull's men took him out of there and shored up Viper's support team.

"Come along now, Falcon," Viper hissed. "What could you possibly have to fear from _me_?" She was hauling hard on the whip and making headway; Sam simply couldn't breathe every time she yanked on it — and he couldn't loosen its grip on his neck.

Steve threw the shield again, but Viper simply used the opportunity to throw a dart his way — one that Steve dodged by a very thin margin. He ran around the first guard and hit the second with a hard right that sent him sliding across the floor before he planted his foot in Viper's stomach, knocking the wind out of her and making her lose her grip on the whip entirely as she fell to the ground.

Sam unraveled the whip from his neck as soon as there was slack, and Steve was already rushing him the other way. They were far too close to Viper's range to stay there safely. Before she could gather her wits, her foot soldiers filled in around her and started firing on them while others pulled her away to wherever the Skull had disappeared to.

The bullets clanged against Steve's shield, with both of the men trying to crouch behind it, though some of it was hitting Sam's flight suit as well. Both of them were running too hard to pay much attention to anything other than the fact that they _hadn't_ been hit yet — not in anything that mattered — though when they hit the back door and Sam took off, both of them felt their stomachs bottom out when Sam's equipment started sputtering.

Somehow — miraculously — the suit held out until it very nearly dumped them out into the trees close by where Sam had parked their jet, and Sam swore as it sparked against his skin. He rushed to get it off, and Steve tried to help him, but both of them were wincing and came back with electrical burns before they managed to ditch it.

Panting, the two of them glanced at each other, each man frowning at the other's injuries — burns from the flight suit, a rapidly growing red stain over Steve's upper leg that he hadn't felt yet with the adrenaline of the chase, the bruises around Sam's neck — before both of them grinned at each other.

"I hate to tell you this, Cap, but I don't think we're gonna find your friend back there," Sam said as he got the jet in the air.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure by the time we got any backup here, there'd be nothing but crumbs and some footprints from how fast they were hauling out of there," Steve agreed.

Sam smirked his way and shook his head, watching as Steve wrapped his bleeding leg. "Coulson's gonna be pissed," he said.

"At what, initiative?"

Sam chuckled. "Well, he takes exception to you kids getting shot."

"You'd think he'd get used to that, considering how often it seems to happen."

"You really would," Sam agreed, still smirking and shaking his head before he clapped a hand on Steve's shoulder. "Come on. Let's get out of here."

* * *

 _November 24_

 _Fury's Secret Base_

* * *

There was still plenty of work to be done, but seeing as it was Bruce's twentieth birthday, Jarella had convinced him to take a little personal time.

Not that he had needed much convincing, really. All it took was a gentle kiss with her arms over his shoulders and her breath in his ear, and he readily agreed to leave Tony to it for the day.

He was a little surprised — though on reflection, he wasn't sure he should have been — when Sinthea had also given him a little something for his birthday. It wasn't much, just a new collared shirt and a note: _Got to keep up your schoolboy image, School Boy._

Bruce had to shake his head at that. It was just like Sin: thoughtful while trying to prove that she wasn't being thoughtful.

Of course, when Jarella saw it, she had to tease him about it. "What, you let someone else dress you?"

Bruce smirked and shook his head lightly. "How could I ever do that?" he asked, gesturing grandly before he held up the hand that still, even after everything Tahiti had done, had the imprint of her kiss. "I'm yours, remember?"

"That's right," she agreed. She kissed his cheek gently before she curled up beside him, her chin on his shoulder as he unwrapped the watch she'd given him. "I would have given you clothes, but I do that all the time," she teased. "This is a reminder to find the time to spend with me — and to take time for yourself."

Bruce smirked at that before he turned her way and kissed her fully. "Mostly you, right?"

"Mostly me," she agreed before she kissed him again, a little longer this time. When they broke apart, a smile was tugging at the corner of her mouth as she traced the line of his face. "I know you're so needed right now, Bruce, but when this is over…"

"Yeah," Bruce said, already picking up on her train of thought. "I'd like a break from … all of it."

Jarella nodded thoughtfully. "I might know a place in the Capitol — assuming it wasn't destroyed in the violence."

"That's a big assumption."

"It is," Jarella agreed. "But it would be perfect to get away. It's a quiet neighborhood, almost its own little world." She kissed him gently. "And the company would be marvelous."

Bruce broke into a smile at that. "On that we can agree," he said. "Anywhere we end up will have that perk."

Jarella chuckled at that. "Then we're agreed?"

"Running away with you after the war?" Bruce smiled. "I like it."

* * *

 _November 28_

 _District Five_

* * *

The teams were still on a bit of a rotation as the holidays approached, with Coulson and Fury trying out different configurations. For the most part, the Awesomes were staying together, though they were surprised when Hunter, the escort from Two, joined their ranks. Apparently, he had been trying to train up to help fight Hydra, and Fury thought it would be better to start him on a relatively easy team to see how he did in the field.

"This is them, is it?" Hunter asked as he looked around the group of Awesomes. "Seems a lot smaller than what I was expecting. For special forces."

"If we need more, we'll find them," Kate said with a smirk as she all but flounced over to stick out her hand for him to shake. "What, you think we _need_ more?"

"No, no, didn't say that. I just expected … more... somehow."

"Wait until we get out in the field," Peter promised. "Kurt can take on just about anybody with those swords, Kate just mastered the triple shot, and I'm working on some tech to crawl up walls. Coming soon. It'll be beautiful."

"Alright then," Hunter said with a nod. "I'm pretty handy with a side arm myself. Fair enough with hand-to-hand. I'd say ask Bob about it but …"

"Yeah," Kate said quietly before she put on a smile and seemed to shrug it off. "She was my trainer, though — betcha I'll spot it in your style once we get out there. I'll spar with you when we get back."

Hunter gave her a crooked smile and nodded his head. "Lookin' forward to it."

"Don't worry. This'll be easy," Kate promised him even as Kurt had stepped a bit forward with his arm around her middle.

Hunter didn't miss the motion though and quickly diverted to asking Peter why he wanted to crawl walls. "Aren't you afraid of a bit of rain? Wash the spider out and all that?"

Peter chuckled at that. "That's what me and Tony are working out — how to make it waterproof," he said. "If it's dry brick, I can climb it, actually."

"Well, I don't know the first thing about that nonsense, but if we can hurry up and get Bob back, she's a true genius with chemicals."

"Bruce is pretty great for that stuff, though," Peter broke in.

"If we're done comparing chemists," Coulson said, drawing their attention. "I'd like to get the briefing underway." He gave them his signature tight smile as he handed out the assignments and began to go into the breakdown of what they were up to.

It was supposed to be more or less a straightforward sabotage run, and the coordinates led them to what had probably once been a factory, though Hydra had repurposed it. The building had been gutted to make room for their new manufacturing activities. They were building some of those blueish weapons that SHIELD had seen used a few times now — and refining them, making them more damaging.

They really weren't expecting any trouble, especially since it was Hunter's first time out with the special ops teams. So the four of them simply moved on to loading up as the three Awesomes filled Hunter in on everything he could need to know — most especially the fact that Kate flew and Kurt was copilot. Always.

"So who taught you how to do this kind of thing?" Peter asked as they moved closer to their checkpoint.

"Izzy Hartley got me into it," Hunter replied. "She got killed during the strike on Thanos — trying to cover the retreat once the job was done."

"But Bobbi showed you some stuff too?" Kate asked, genuinely curious.

"Bobbi showed me some, yeah," he said with a shrug. "Not much. But some. Izzy spent a lot more time than the pre-arranged 'dates' and spare time we had to deal with."

"Yeah, Clint told me about that," Kate agreed, making a face.

"It wasn't so bad. I mean … could have been someone awful — on either side."

"Hank was paired with Abigail Brand," Kurt agreed softly. "And she turned out to be with Hydra."

"Wouldn't you have been able to date whoever, though?" Kate asked. "I mean, if you hadn't been dragged into Bobbi's orbit. I thought that was the deal?"

"Yes and no," he said tipping his head to the side. "Most of the escorts had to be careful too. We were not as high profile, and definitely not in demand like the victors were — but still in the public eye. If we were a part of the narrative, that was it. No way out."

"Guess it's a good thing we fixed that problem," Peter muttered. "You know. When we killed all the royals."

"Oh, absolutely," he agreed. "But the dating pool's been a bit slim since the revolution began. Not exactly easy to take a girl to dinner if you don't know if the restaurant will be standing when you get to your reservation."

"We go for picnics," Kurt said with a small smile. "Maybe you could do the same."

"As one would imagine, Capitol girls don't much go for the more _rustic_ affairs," he said.

"It's not like your options are limited just to the Capitol," Peter pointed out. "We fixed that too. I mean, mostly free travel between districts unless they're Hydra controlled…"

"Until Fury cleared me, they were, actually. It's not like Capitolites are really that _trusted_ in the districts. Especially ones that took their kids off to die."

The other kids glanced at each other and had to agree, falling silent at the pronouncement until Kate and Peter both couldn't stand the silence and broke into a conversation about what Peter was going to do with the wedding pictures for Kate and Kurt based on different possible dates — springtime, winter, fall… he had _ideas_.

Finally, they touched down in the district and got going, with Kurt leading the way with the map. It was like Coulson had said: fairly straightforward.

Once Kurt got them in through the roof, the four of them crept quietly through the repurposed factory as they kept eyes and ears peeled for any sign of trouble. Still, for the time being, it seemed to the four of them that they'd just found a weapons depot, albeit one with incredibly creepy weapons.

Peter had stopped in front of a rack of blue glowing weapons to frown at the designs, trying to work out what the new things could do before they had to see anything firsthand. He had leaned casually against the wall as he was thinking, but as he did so, he heard a bit of a _click_ as part of the wall at his shoulder gave in, and a panel nearby slid open.

"Please tell me it's not just luck that's been getting you lot this far the whole time," Hunter said as he shoved a bit of machinery into the opening to hold it for the other two.

"It's all skill," Peter said reassuringly. "And ... the inherent fact that we're _awesome._ "

"Right. That's what it is."

"It so totally is," Peter replied. "Don't be hateful because you're not there."

Hunter laughed as he kicked out the temporary doorstop once Kate and Kurt had joined them. "That's what you think, mate."

They crept carefully deeper, the passage leading them underground as they followed it, weapons drawn. When they heard the quiet whisper of voices, they slipped around the corner and waited for the approaching footsteps, though they recognized the imperious voice even before Von Strucker himself rounded the corner, berating some Hydra underling for inefficiency.

"Another mistake like that one, and it will not be me you answer to. Lady Hydra will deal with such… incompetence upon her return," Von Strucker snapped.

With a nod, the little group peeked around the corner and, seeing just Von Strucker and his usual entourage — though much smaller than the group he traveled with in battle — stepped out the rest of the way as Peter announced their presence with a grin and a loud, "Well, we were fishing for the middle-sized fish, but lookie what we got here." He spread his arms wide. "He's _this_ big!"

Von Strucker looked surprised when he turned toward the kids, though his expression quickly gave way to one of anger as he pointed his guards their way. He looked like he was reaching for a communication device, but Kate shot an arrow through the small radio with a grin. "Ah, ah, ah," she said, wagging her finger at him, and he just looked more incensed.

Hunter, on the other hand, didn't seem to be aiming for any kind of trick shots as he leveled both side arms, aiming for Von Strucker's head and chest, though the shots went wide as one of Von Strucker's guards plowed into him at the last moment.

The Hydra leader drew his sword, slicing neatly through the next arrow Kate shot his way before he leapt into the fray himself. He moved nimbly around his men as they rushed toward the kids, and it was clear by the way he held his swords that this was not a man to be trifled with.

"This … _this_ is who SHIELD sends out? Three failed tributes and an old escort?" he sneered.

"And you still can't seem to beat us, so I'd hold off on the high and mighty, three-eyes," Peter quipped at the same time he ducked a blast from one of the blue weapon blasts Strucker's soldiers sent his way.

"You've not faced me, child," he replied with a crooked smirk. "I can only imagine that bringing your heads back to the Skull will be good for troop morale."

"Mmm. How 'bout we bring back your monocle instead?" Kate shot back.

"Souvenir," Peter agreed.

"You're welcome to try," Von Strucker replied icily. "But my lessons come at a cost."

Kurt ran to meet Von Strucker's attack, both of his swords raised to stop the man's sword before it would have reached Peter, and a smile spread over the Hydra leader's face, cruel and glittering, as he looked to Kurt. "I heard SHIELD had a boy who fancied himself a swordsman," he said to Kurt. "I'm disappointed. Zemo must have fallen farther than I thought to lose to the likes of you."

Kurt leaped nimbly out of the way of Von Strucker's next strike and then grinned. "The feeling is mutual. I thought _you_ were supposed to be a master swordsman."

Von Strucker simply sneered in response, driving forward, and for a time, the two of them were entirely locked in combat. The other three kids couldn't get a clear shot to help Kurt as the two swordsmen were in constant motion, going nearly blow for blow for several long minutes.

But for Kurt, it was painfully apparent that Von Strucker was simply much stronger than he was. With every parry, Kurt could feel his arms getting tired, while the older man seemed hardly to break his stride. He had the advantage of double blades, but he was starting to think that was less an advantage and more the reason he was still keeping up at all.

He deflected Von Strucker's next blow with only one rapier, and while his arm nearly shook with the effort, it meant the man was open to his second strike, and Kurt let a smirk cross his face as he managed a long cut across the man's chest, though it was not as deep as he'd intended — Strucker was faster than he appeared.

Unlike Zemo, though, Von Strucker didn't break form when he got angry. Kurt could see the flash just behind the man's eyes, but if anything, he seemed to focus more, lashing out with a blow that very nearly knocked Kurt's sword from his hand before he flicked his blade up to Kurt's face, stopping short of a more damaging blow to instead flick across the skin of Kurt's ear.

As Kurt sucked in a quick breath at the painful but shallow cut, Von Strucker sneered at him. "As I said, such a disappointment," he said, shaking his head slowly. "But perhaps you may yet learn something before I kill you."

Kurt gritted his teeth. "Lofty words," he said. "But of the two of us, one is bleeding more heavily than the other."

"Easily remedied," Von Strucker replied with a cruel sparkle in his eyes before he started a much stronger offensive, though the man still seemed as though he had yet to break a sweat. The strikes Von Strucker landed against Kurt's blades rang up through his arms with every hit. He was being backed across the floor, and with every step Von Strucker advanced, his smirk grew a touch wider.

With a heavy blow, Von Strucker knocked one of Kurt's swords free, and it skittered across the ground. He held up the tip of his sword to Kurt's neck. "Pick it up. You will need it." He walked with Kurt, his sword trained on him the entire time until Kurt did manage to stoop and retrieve his fallen sword. Then, Von Strucker took half a step back and started his attack anew, even fiercer than before.

"The Skull is waiting," a younger man called out. "We don't have time for this, father."

With that, Von Strucker turned back to Kurt, looking more irritated than anything else. "Your next lesson will see you children at my feet when Hydra rules," he said in a clipped tone before he bashed Kurt's swords loose and simply ran him through just under the ribcage on his right side. "Those of you that prove to be useful will be made to comply."

He cleaned his blade as he turned and walked off without a second thought to the young man now bleeding on the ground, and the Hydra soldiers in the factory simply started to fire on the kids that had stayed back from the swordfight.

Hunter rushed forward, returning fire on his way to see how badly Kurt was injured — though he couldn't think of many things worse than being run through. When he got to Kurt, he was still awake but in shock at the severe injury. Hunter went to work trying to put pressure on him where he could as the other two finished clearing the room.

"How bad is it?" Kate asked, her voice clearly filled with emotion as she started to fire arrows two and three at a time, often when an exploding arrow in the bunch.

"There's a lot of blood," Hunter replied with a frown and an obvious wince. "Does this happen every time you lot go out?"

Kate let out a bit of a frustrated noise before she nocked another set of three arrows. She seemed to be growing increasingly distressed the longer she had to keep firing, and the second it was clear, she all but scampered over to where Hunter and Kurt were as Peter kept an eye out for any more surprises.

A noise like a whimper escaped her as she looked Kurt over before she turned to Hunter. "We have to get him back home. Now."

As they started to try to move Kurt, an explosion sounded beyond the walls of the building in the direction that they'd left their jet. "That does not sound very conducive to a speedy exit," Hunter said with a concerned look.

Peter matched his concerned expression for a moment, looking back at the other three before he took it on himself to rush ahead — and when he saw the remains of their jet strewn in several still-burning pieces, he walked a small circle right there. "Gah." He rushed back to the others with wide eyes and one hand on his comm. "They blew up our _ride_ ," he reported, both to the others and to Coulson on the other end of the comm.

"Head to the coordinates I'm sending you now," Coulson replied. "Lay low; I'll have someone come get you."

"Send someone _now_ ," Kate said, her breath coming in shallow; she was _so_ close behind Hunter. "Kurt is hurt."

"They're on the way," Coulson promised. "May and Simmons."

" _Hurry_ ," Kate replied as she and the other two tried to find a place to lay low when the area was crawling with Hydra — and Kate was having a hard time with the 'being quiet' thing with how worried she was over Kurt, promising him it would be okay and they were going to get _married_ so he better not die on her as Hunter and Peter tried to staunch the heavy bleeding.

As it turned out, they didn't need to worry nearly as much as they were, because when their ride showed up — _guns ablazing_ — there was no need to concern themselves with a good cover. Agent May was giving it to the Hydra hard as Simmons waved them toward the open loading ramp.

"I've got everything but diagnostics on board," Simmons said as they carried Kurt in. "What happened? Gunshot wound?"

"Stab wound," Hunter said.

"Oh, good," Simmons said, letting out a breath. "Much less traumatic that way." She continued to babble about the differences as she assessed him but stopped when she realized that Kate and Peter were both just open-mouthed staring at her. "Right. Well. Buckle in; we'll be back to base before you know it. He's in good hands."

She started working quickly, cutting away the uniform so she could assess him clearer, and even letting out a breath of relief when she saw where exactly the wound had entered and exited. "No major arteries," she called out to Kate. "Just a nasty bit of bleeding, but we can fix that up right as rain as soon as we land."

Kate was barely keeping herself from hovering over Simmons' shoulder. "They blew up our plane, Simmons. He was going to let Kurt _bleed_."

"Yes, I heard," she agreed, wide-eyed. "He's an awful person at best." She looked at Kate and tried for a smile. "If … you insist on staying close, perhaps you could hold his hand? Keep him awake?"

Kate looked relieved to have something to do and simply dropped to sit down next to Kurt, one of his hands in both of hers and barely breathing.

Hunter watched the two of them for a moment with an unreadable expression before he looked Peter's way. "This happen often? Because it feels like it lately."

"Not usually to Kurt," Peter admitted. "But yeah, it does seem to be happening more often."

"You think Hydra's just… meaner than the old guys?" Hunter asked, still with that same expression.

"Honestly? Pretty even, by my measure," Peter replied. "There are just … more with Hydra."

"Yeah, I've seen Bob out with them," Hunter said, mostly to himself, before he shook his head. "So ... you and I'll handle the agent with the stick-straight dress sense so the lovers get their privacy, yeah?"

Peter leaned closer to him. "Which … stick-straight agent? There are two …"

Hunter had to chuckle. "The one with the nervous twitch when he straightens his tie."

"Yes. Good plan. I like it," Peter said, letting out a breath. "At least … once she starts to settle down."

"Which one — the doctor or the girlfriend?" Hunter asked with a smirk.

"The doc," Peter said with a smirk. "The girlfriend isn't going to relax until he's snuggled up and out of the hospital."

"Well that's to be expected," Hunter pointed out as he sat back, absently wiping at his clothes where Kurt's blood had stained them as they settled in for the flight back.

Coulson and Logan met them in the hangar when they landed, both of them looking concerned until they saw Simmons with a tight smile exiting the plane. "Lacerated liver," she said as they approached. "Surgery will be quick — just to be sure there are no major bleeders. He'll be fine in no time."

With that, both of them seemed to relax a bit just before Coulson called for the rest of the team to head down to briefing. "Kate, it's a simple surgery, and he's got the best doctors in the country on his side. Let's do this quickly so you can be there when he gets out."

Kate nodded, though it wasn't until Peter had her by the arm that she moved in a direction that wasn't with Kurt. When she still looked like she wanted to go down the hall after him, Logan got to her other side and put his arm around her shoulders. "C'mon — quick an' painless, Trickshot. When you're done, I'll wait with you and flatten anyone that irritates you."

"Thanks," she croaked out quietly as the group that had been on the mission — plus Logan — hit the briefing room, though it was mostly Hunter who gave them the details, since he was the least emotionally invested, even if it was clear that _this_ being the end of his first mission out had him a little shaken.

"His kid was there," Hunter added. "Didn't know a man like that could reproduce, but there you have it — told his old man it was time to leave, and that was it."

"Probably like a starfish," Peter grumbled under his breath. "Budding."

"Likely," Hunter agreed with a smirk Peter's way before he turned back to Coulson. "Anyway, the kid said the Skull was waiting on them, so Baron von Listens to His Chicken Son stabbed Kurt and muttered something about compliance before he just left us there with no jet and a bleeding Nightcrawler."

Logan cringed on hearing the 'compliance' line and shook his head. "Yeah, compliance is _not_ rewarded."

"Is that some kind of…" Hunter turned Logan's way. "Should we be concerned, or…?"

"Part of the brainwashing mantra," he told them. "Just don't get captured. You'll be fine."

Peter looked honestly alarmed. "So when he said the useful ones… oh man." He ran his hands through his hair without taking his gaze off of Logan.

"That's what happened," Kate said quietly. "Can we go now?" She had her gaze on the door and was clearly holding her bow in her mind without having it in her hands the way her hands and fingers were moving — a nervous motion that they'd all seen her do before.

"He's gonna be fine, Trickshot," Logan told her in as soothing a tone as he knew how. "If the baron had wanted him dead, he'd be dead."

"He stabbed him and left him to bleed, Logan," Kate said.

"He stabbed him and left him to _hurt_ ," Logan corrected. "He could have just as easily gone for his heart. The man knows how to make it hurt."

Kate nodded, her eyes still on the door until Coulson let out a breath. "Go ahead, Kate," he said gently — and that was it; she was gone.

"You know where I'll be," Logan said, darting off behind her.

The two of them made their way down to medical in record time, and while the doctors weren't quite done with Kurt, Kate had a space to sit and wait — and Logan made himself comfortable right there beside her.

Kate wasn't even into her second cup of coffee when Claire came out to let her know that all had gone well and Kurt was on heavy painkillers in recovery. "You're welcome to go sit with him," she said.

Kate let out a little noise of relief and rushed by Claire to where Kurt was, in fact, well-medicated and asleep. She climbed into the bed on his good side and snuggled into him, totally falling into a clearly-grateful-he's-alive kind of cuddle with her fiance.

Logan followed her by a few moments, and by the time he'd gotten to the room to see her wiggling into place, he shook his head and headed to where the extra blankets were to cover her up. "Gets cold in here," he said in explanation on his way out the door. "Sweet dreams."


	23. Honor, Sushi, and a Big Friggin' Idiot

**Chapter 23: Honor, Sushi, and A Big Friggin' Idiot;**

* * *

 _November 29_

 _District Three_

….

Like his last visit to Three, Logan again had someone along with him — though this time it wasn't entirely for supervision. Instead, it was partly because he wasn't cleared to fly again and partly because he was leaving with the magnets on to keep him from using his claws. Fury simply wasn't going to let him go out unarmed _and_ alone.

But Logan had volunteered to go back to Three to try and repair the mess he'd made for Viper with Shingen — and to assure the feudal leader that SHIELD had no plans to rule over Three as Hydra did.

It took all morning. Shingen was an inquisitive audience full of questions of loyalty and honor, though that simply opened the door for Logan to explain why he'd been forced to go along with Viper.

"You did _not_ lie to me that day," Shingen said. "When I asked if it was how you truly felt, you did not lie."

"No," Logan replied. "I was forced to do as Viper wanted, telling you what she wanted conveyed about SHIELD and Hydra, but I couldn't dishonor you with a lie."

"And your alliances are once again with SHIELD?" Shingen challenged.

Logan took a deep breath and nodded slowly. "I believe they are the most honest of the players in the field," he replied. "But my alliances were never with Hydra. Temporarily to Viper — but not Hydra."

"And will Viper sway you again?"

"No, that blood oath was fulfilled. The marriage was only one to follow through on a debt, and she's stepped out of that obligation herself — in many ways."

Shingen seemed to take him in under a new light, and the old man sat back and tipped his chin up as if he was seeing Logan for the first time. "It's odd to have someone outside of our culture believe in such things as honor and obligation."

Logan's only response was to incline his head, quickly and understated.

"You are welcome to return here again with SHIELD's messages," Shingen said. "And though we will not interfere with SHIELD working here, we do not wish to fall under Nick Fury's rule."

Logan smirked at that. "I can understand that," he said with a nod. "And if it's any consolation, Seven is taking a similar stance. They have no interest in anyone ruling over them as the Capitol did. Hydra is not welcome there either."

"Then," he replied as he motioned for his servants to bring in the tray, "perhaps we toast to an agreement between our own districts."

Logan drew in a breath and felt compelled to be up front, lest he be accused later of misleading the old man. "I'm not representing Seven," he admitted. "I'm not sure who's in charge there."

But Shingen laughed as he poured the sake. "And you think I'm in charge here?" he laughed a bit more. "I control the loyalties of the Japanese here. You — you are more influential than you give yourself credit for, _chīsana_ _samuraitsurīkattā_."

Logan looked surprised at the term but shook it off quickly with a little smirk as Shingen smiled wider to himself and the two of them toasted their working relationship.

When he finally left Shingen and his compound to head back to where Skye was waiting with May, he was admittedly a little buzzed, and the fog rolling in off the bay was thick enough that when he got to where the two women were waiting, May had to frown at him slightly.

"It's too dangerous to fly out in the craft we have," she said. "We're here for the night. So why don't you play translator for us and take us out to dinner? Your treat."

Logan looked between the two women, nodded his agreement, and let them lead the way down to the restaurants that lined the Japanese-rich section of Three before they found what Logan said would be the right place for them to grab a bite.

They were seated at the bar all of five seconds before Skye looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Sushi?"

"Hey, if I'm payin', I'm pickin'," Logan defended, though May had to smile to herself. She wasn't expecting him to go for a place like this.

"I was sure you'd be the one to find the good burger joint in this area of town," May said, shaking her head as Logan made their order _omakase_.

"We could do that anywhere," Logan defended. "No point in going to somewhere new and getting the same crap." He looked May's way as he poured her a cold beer. "Live a little."

The two women shared a look as the chef behind the counter set down the first nigiri of the night, and Logan smirked their way to see how much they were up for.

"What is this anyhow?" Skye asked as she looked at the little piece of raw fish.

The chef said something in Japanese, and Logan nodded before he turned to the girls. "Yellowtail tuna."

They shared a look and Skye had to ask "So … we just eat whatever he puts in front of us?"

"That's the idea," Logan replied.

She straightened up and nodded her head once. "Alright. Sure. Sounds like fun."

He smirked to himself and led the way, trying to not act like he knew they were watching for the 'right' way to do it … and before long, the pattern was set. They'd all get a nigiri, and then the chef would explain to Logan what it was in what sounded like a lot more detail than whatever single word Logan actually relayed to them.

"There is so much just being lost in translation," Skye muttered to May, who smirked wider, wondering how much Logan was choosing not to tell them. But, except for a few individual instances of something looking flat out bizarre, they didn't hesitate all the way though.

"We're still going to have to stay the night," May said when they finally walked out of the sushi bar after Logan had joked around with the chef for a while.

"Do you have a place for that?" Logan asked. "Or do I need to find one of those too?"

"We'll sleep in the plane," she said with a dry look before she led the way off.

* * *

 _November 30_

 _Fury's Secret Base_

* * *

Peter came into the medical wing after dinner, bearing gifts of sugary desserts with a tired look as he plopped down in the chair nearest to Kurt and Kate — where Kate was still tucked into Kurt's side.

"Thought you might want something sweet for the sweeties," Pete said cheerfully.

Kate grinned at him and grabbed a chocolate-covered strawberry for herself. "You're a sweetheart yourself," she said, then looked him over. "Looks like you need some sugary energy as well. Have you been on your feet all day?"

"Kinda," Pete said. "Gotta keep an eye on things while my favorite Hawkeye is hidden away and our mutual stabby friend is off eating sushi with his lady."

"That's true. When there's no Hawk, spider eyes are the best backup," she laughed. "You been playing big brother for the whole group of kids?"

"Well, seeing as Sam and Steve are out doing who-knows-what and Clint and Natasha are playing spies somewhere — which I don't mean as a euphemism, so don't start, Kate … yes. Yes, I am."

"You're pretty good at it, you know — don't think I haven't noticed Miles coming to you for advice," Kurt said with a little grin, tiredly leaning against Kate.

"That would be a lot more flattering if he actually _followed_ my advice," Peter replied. "He's gonna get himself in trouble."

"Well, he's just following your example," Kate teased. "Doing what you do, not what you say."

"That," Peter said, pointing Kate's way, "is entirely too accurate."

She grinned around a bite of cookie. "I call it like I see it."

Kurt laughed at both of them and then sat up a little straighter. "Whatever you do, don't let those two follow Logan."

"Enabler," Kate agreed. "And you know Kamala thinks the _world_ of him."

"We should help pester him into training them again," Peter told him. "They really liked it."

"We should," Kate agreed with a twinkle in her eye. "I loved sneakiness training with him ... we could get him teaching…"

"He does seem to have a flair for it," Kurt agreed with a sedate smile.

"Who in the world thought that was a good idea to start with …" Peter muttered before he shook his head. "I mean, it worked. But still."

"It was his idea, according to Kitty," Kurt said, still smiling. "He started trying to show Kamala and the kids from Seven how to survive, and it grew from there."

"'Cause Kamala was inviting everyone with two ears and a sense of decency," Kate added before she snatched another cookie.

"It's too bad we can't throw that birthday party we were planning for Logan when he's not here and I'm… not up to a party," Kurt said. "Jessica said Logan could get Hill to drink for _fun_."

"We'll have to do it next year," Kate agreed, then paused and started to laugh. "Or around this Christmas if we can't wait that long."

"If we weren't waiting on Kurt to have a healthy _liver,_ we could surprise him when he gets back," Peter pointed out. "Never see it coming."

"I'm so very sorry for the inconvenience," Kurt said with a smirk as he leaned against Kate. "What _was_ I thinking?"

"Clearly nothing to do with whiskey and born trouble magnets," Peter said.

"So short-sighted of me," Kurt agreed as he stole the cookie from Kate's hand and finished it off for her.

"You are not supposed to be eating cookies, mister," she teased.

"Oh, well then Peter shouldn't have brought them," he teased right back. "And I'll have you know I'm off the Jell-O as of this morning."

"I want that cookie back, Kurt," Kate said.

"It's too late," he shot back with a troublemaking smile that earned him a kiss as Peter shook his head at both of them.

"Can you just… not for five seconds?" he asked.

"Mmm no," Kate said, shaking her head. "Not even a little bit."

"That's the whole point of being engaged, Peter," Kurt laughed. "You should try it."

"You know … it seems like _just yesterday_ you were the one saying no one should be pushed into that kind of thing ….my oh my, how the tables have turned."

"I meant I didn't want to push _Kate_ ," Kurt said, shaking his head.

"Which is ridiculous, because I was _dragging_ him," Kate pointed out. "C'mon, Pete. At least tell me you're thinking about it. Aunt May gets this look on her face when she sees you two together, and it's pretty much the face Susie makes except aunt-like."

"Hey … _my aunt_ isn't even making those faces, so … tell your sister to just … look at someone else like that."

"I can't stop her," Kate pointed out. "I mean, she's my big sister. If I could stop her, don't you think I'd've done it by now?"

"Well sure. You can't stop her for _you,_ but for other innocent, sweet little Spidey bystanders, it should be _easy._ "

"Not when she wants to play with the spiderlings," Kurt shot back.

"So what's she making that face at you two for?" Peter countered. "Little... Hawkcrawlers?"

" _Lächerlich_ ," Kurt blustered as both he and Kate flushed pink.

"She's just… wedding… planning," Kate tried to explain, but there was really nothing holding up her argument at all. So when the door opened, she was glad for the change of subject — until she saw who it was.

"Well ain't this cozy?" The tall, blond, menacing figure filled the door frame, trapping the three of them in the room.

Both Peter and Kate scrambled to get somewhat in front of Kurt —seeing as Kurt was still in recovery from the surgery and couldn't move very well at all or even stand on his own. Peter was frowning as he muttered out, "How the heck did big and ugly get in here?" as Kate went for the red call button beside Kurt's head, jamming the button multiple times for good measure as she glanced around for anything she could use as an improvised weapon, seizing on the spare IV pole.

"Ah, ah, ah. No reason to spoil the fun before we start," Creed said as he advanced.

She set her jaw and jutted out her chin. "Yeah, you're not even gonna get to _start_ , bozo."

"Aren't you the brave little thing," Creed replied with clear amusement on his features. "How did I miss you growin' up?"

She looked more than a little wide-eyed as she swung out with the pole, using it like a staff to strike at him from the side, aiming just under his arm in an attempt to break some ribs. But he clamped his arm down on it after it hit and yanked it from her grip. He threw it to the side and advanced toward Kate, but Peter got in between them with a one-two punch that would have done more if he hadn't been hitting a wall of Creed — though it did draw the big man's attention.

Creed smirked then sneered as he drew his arm back and brought it down on Peter fast and hard -— his new lions claws slashing him from shoulder to hip. Deeply.

It would have been more than enough to stop Peter, but Creed followed it up by backhanding him for good measure — and knocking him out cold. When Kate almost forgot herself and rushed for Peter, Creed caught her by the back of her jeans and shirt and simply threw her across the room and into a wall, knocking her silly, before he advanced on Kurt.

"You think that little runt is worth keeping around?" Creed asked him. "He worth all this trouble?"

Kurt glared up at him. "He seems to be worth a lot of trouble to you — why else would you be here?"

Creed chuckled at him before he lunged forward and pinned Kurt down with one thick, heavy arm — only to take a claw and start to _doodle_ on Kurt's wrist, taking his time and cutting deeply. When Kurt tried to pull his wrist free, Creed sneered at him. "If you move too much, I'll have to start over. Be still."

"Let him _go_ ," Kate demanded seconds before a plate of assorted sugary desserts crashed into the back of Creed's head, juicy tarts dripping down his neck.

He cringed at the sensation for a moment before finishing his doodle — deeper than before — and then turned toward Kate. "Impatient, aren't ya?" She stared back, having run out of anything substantial to use as a weapon. She thought she saw a way out if she dodged around him — but before she could move on it, he rushed her and picked her up by the throat, pinning her to the wall.

"You messed up my drawing," he growled in her ear. "So maybe you need one too." He let her slip down the wall until her feet touched the floor before he picked up her arm and spun to pin her there. He held her hand in one of his and used the same curved lion's claw to draw the same picture into her wrist as he'd done to Kurt. He took his time and smiled broader when she finally quit trying to pull her arm free from his grip.

When he was finished, he stepped forward enough to let her breathe — and take in enough air to let out a scream that caught the attention of pretty much the entire lab.

Creed grinned at the noise before he grabbed both of her wrists in one hand, dragging Kate along behind him as he took just a moment to jam the door and then stooped down beside Peter, dipping two fingers in the pool of blood beside the unconscious boy so that he could start to _write_ on the walls.

When he was done, there was already someone at the door — Kate and Kurt could hear whoever it was trying to break it down — but Creed didn't seem to be in any kind of hurry. Instead, he simply turned his attention back to Kate and slammed her into the wall, holding both of her hands over her head even as she squirmed to get free.

His breath was hot on her neck as he leaned in to whisper his message: "Tell the Runt 'happy birthday' from me," he said, then took her chin in his free hand to force her to look at him. "And let him know I keep my promises. You got that, frail?"

Kate's eyes were wide as she nodded wordlessly, though Kurt shouted across the room, "Leave her alone!"

Creed chuckled at that, hardly even glancing Kurt's way. "Stay outta this, boy," he said before, just to tweak Kurt, he reached up to very gently brush Kate's hair behind her ear and cup her face, which had her almost shaking and closing her eyes as Kurt repeated his demand to leave her alone — almost desperately.

Creed was still chuckling to himself as he moved from cupping Kate's face to cupping her hip and watching her lip quiver, but before he could do anything else, there was a small explosion at the door, and to Kurt's immense relief, that meant the door swung open on its hinges.

It only took Bruce a matter of seconds to take in the scene before he simply rushed Creed with a noise almost like a roar that none of the kids had ever heard from him before. Creed looked pleased at this turn of events and tossed Kate aside to turn to meet the challenge — but he clearly hadn't expected Bruce to be as downright _vicious_ as he was.

Before Creed could even get a good hit in, Bruce had positively bowled him over and simply laid into him with hits hard enough that Creed had to switch to playing defense — and fast.

Creed was more than a little punch-drunk by the time he got in a good hit — but it was enough to stop Bruce's onslaught when he slashed him with a one-two combination to his arms and chest. Bruce staggered slightly, and it was enough of an opening for Creed to bash him away — and then take a retreat, knowing he was beat-down enough that he couldn't risk it.

For a moment, Bruce rounded on the door, fury obvious in his gaze, but then he closed his eyes, and the others could see as he visibly took a moment to get a hold of himself. He let his breath out slowly before, finally, he turned back to Kate with a much softer expression. "Are you guys okay?"

Kate opened her mouth to say something — and then let out a sort of sobbing sound before she positively clutched onto Bruce's shoulder, and he tried to hug her, letting Kurt handle the part of promising she was okay while he was sort of the stand-in for solid snuggles.

* * *

The flight back into the base was an easy one for May — though when they were maybe an hour out, a message came through from Coulson that did _not_ sound good. Security was going nuts. Fury was on the warpath. And Coulson sounded downright concerned as he told her what had happened. The other three Awesomes had all gotten fresh injuries while _in_ the hospital wing at the hands of Victor Creed — and to say that they were shaken was putting it mildly.

"I know you were gone and no one in that plane would even consider having anything to do with Creed, but Fury will be checking everyone over personally when you come in. Looking for tracking devices, extra comms, bugs on the pane — anything." He paused for just a moment. "Prepare them, please."

May let out a long sigh before she simply nodded. "I will," she promised before she turned her attention to the two other occupants of the plane. They were comfortably curled together; Skye had her head on Logan's shoulder, and they were snickering about some kind of inside joke before May got their attention.

"There's been a security breach at the base, so we're going to have to deal with Fury when we get in," May told them.

"What kind of security breach?" Logan asked with a frown.

May let out a sigh as she frowned and shook her head. "Victor Creed found his way into the medical wing."

" _What_?" Logan said, sitting a lot more upright all at once. "Did anyone die?"

"No, but there were injuries," May told him. "Banner found Creed when he was terrorizing your old team."

"Of course it was them," Logan muttered. "Where's Vic?"

"In the wind," May admitted. "The team responding was more concerned with stitching Peter back together and making sure the other two were alright than chasing him down."

"So he's armed. Fine. I'll find him."

Skye frowned Logan's way. "It's dark out and snowing…"

"Doesn't matter. He wants to fight? I'll fight him. I'm not drunk this year."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Skye asked, though May had raised an eyebrow.

Logan shook his head. "He gets a kick out of kicking the crap out of me on my birthday. I've been drunk every time. I'm not now."

"Then don't give him what he wants," May said with a frown. "Don't _reward_ his attack on your friends."

"I'm gonna take his damn head off," Logan countered.

"It would improve his looks," May said dryly as she got the signal from Coulson that she was cleared to land — and, as promised, Fury was there to greet them.

But before Fury could even do a sweep of them, Logan was obviously ready to roll. "Where's the trail?" he asked, hands clenched in fists at his side. "I'll find him tonight."

"I thought you weren't sure about whether or not you should even try to go after him," Fury replied with a frown. "And now you don't even want to wait for a fair fight? You're gonna go after him — probably into a trap in the dark with a blizard building? Forget it."

"You're wasting my time," Logan growled out before he turned to leave the hangar and circle the building. A few SHIELD guards stood in his way, but before he could quite get to pushing through them, Fury made his way up and grabbed him by the arm.

"Go check on your friends first if you insist on trying to kill yourself," Fury replied. "He's got the advantage. Don't be stupid." He fixed Logan with a look before he continued in a more reasonable tone, "You might want to know what you're up against."

Logan looked more frustrated for a moment, but turned and stomped past the two guards who were trying to get him to let Fury give him a once-over. When he got down to the medical wing, he very quickly slowed to nearly a stop when he saw the message that Creed had left for him.

It wasn't so much the '21' painted in blood on the wall as much as it was his three friends, freshly wrapped and still shaken. Peter's whole torso had been wrapped up in new bandages, and Kurt was sporting some new ones that matched Kate's exactly around the right wrists, though neither of them seemed to be physically hurt more than that, even if Kate was curled up at the point of crying where she was trying to stop but not there yet. It looked like the medics had finished up with Bruce, too, finishing up the wraps on his arms and chest too.

Logan didn't even step in the room, instead, cataloguing each injury and looking more livid with each passing second until Kurt called out to him. "You're alright," he said, sounding relieved.

"You're not," Logan replied through gritted teeth.

"I'll be fine," Kurt promised. "Peter has quite a collection of stitches, though."

"Thirty-seven," Peter said with a little nod that kept going long enough to tell Logan Pete was on some good drugs.

"I'll kill him," Logan said half under his breath, already starting to slowly back up.

"I'm sure you will," Kurt said. "But not right now." He let out a breath. "He came looking for _you_. Don't give him that."

"He's probably just… just _waiting_ for you out there," Kate sniffed from her corner.

"Then it would be rude _not_ to go kill him," Logan replied, his eyes flashing.

Kate shook her head at him, wide-eyed as her breath caught in a little hitch. "Please," she said quietly. "He promised to kill you, and he said — he said he always keeps his promises."

"Kate," Logan started to say, "that's not how it's gonna go."

But by then, she'd started up crying again in earnest and crossed the span to throw her arms around his neck and more or less fall apart on him.

Logan certainly wasn't going to leave her like that, not when Kurt was stuck in bed and _couldn't_ take over on the comforting. "Trickshot," he said, a lot quieter as he wrapped her up in a gentle embrace, "I'm not gonna let him do that. Who you gonna believe? Him or me?"

She let out a little dry laugh and shook her head as she wrapped her arms tighter. "You," she admitted quietly.

"You really think there's anything you can do now that you can't when it's light out and he's not waiting to make sure you never make it to twenty-two?" Bruce put in when Kate had calmed down a bit.

Logan let out a breath as he looked to the two teammates he wasn't wrapped around. "You softened him up for me."

"Yeah, I did," Bruce said. "And next time he shows his face, we'll finish him off before he can run away again." He shook his head. "Don't undo my good work waltzing into a trap to give him back his upper hand. Make him lick his wounds for a change."

"Banner, you don't gotta have anything to do with him. He's my problem. And if I'd been here, none of them would have gotten busted up."

"So you think you've got the corner market on dealing with creeps?" Bruce asked, one eyebrow raised.

"No, just that one," Logan answered.

"You know, you're full of crap, Logan." Bruce shook his head, though his eyes were slightly narrowed. "He wasn't your problem until a couple years ago — you think the other victors don't want to help? Or how about any other decent human beings who think what he's doing is an atrocity? You think it's gotta be _personal_ to make it count when he gets taken down?"

"No," Logan said, shaking his head.

"Then _think_ , Logan. Take a seat, stay with your friends, and don't make me pound it into your thick skull that the rest of us can _help_ when it comes to issues like this," Bruce said, his tone calm but his eyes flashing as he crossed his arms across his chest. "Don't let the IV fool you; I'm more than up to it."

"I've got no doubt about that, Banner," Logan replied. "I've seen you in action, and I am nowhere near up to full speed." He tipped his head to the side to try to catch Kate's gaze. "You don't really want _me_ , do you? I can carry you to Kurt."

"I can walk," Kate said but made no move to budge.

He had to smirk a little at that before he swept her up in a smooth motion and started toward Kurt. "Found this sassy lil' troublemaker. Pretty sure she belongs with you."

Kurt smiled softly as he scooted over to make room for Kate. "You know, I believe she does," he teased as he wrapped her up carefully and gently the second Logan set her down.

Logan still gave her a kiss on the forehead before she let go and snuggled in with Kurt. "Fine. I'll wait. But the way Fury's acting, I doubt I'll have a chance to track him."

"Then focus on building yourself up to fight him," Kurt suggested. "You've been back in the field, yes, but admit it, Logan: the past few months… haven't exactly been kind."

"No," he admitted. "And I've been workin' on it, but weights aren't really my thing."

"Then perhaps you can train with me," Kurt said thoughtfully. "I need to work on my strength as well." He gestured down at himself. "So this doesn't happen again."

"You're gonna think I'm nuts," Logan said. "But sure. Why not."

"Me too?" Peter called out. "I'm actually pretty good at weightlifting. Do it with Wade all the time, and my record's pretty high."

"I don't like weights," Logan said. "I have other ways to build up."

"And I need to work on my strength in sword fighting," Kurt added.

"Yeah, if you're going to go after Von Strucker again," Logan agreed. "He's got a little different style." He smirked at Kurt. "He didn't like the way I blocked when Viper said he needed someone to play with."

"Well then you have the experience. Do you mind doing a little teaching?" Kurt asked with a smile as Peter laughed outright.

"Hey! We were just saying we should get the teacher-Wolverine back in action," Peter said delightedly.

"What, you think up miserable scenarios when I'm not around to slap you one?" Logan asked

"No, we were just saying the younger kids would probably love to get the rooftop gang back together," Peter said. "You know, seeing as Kamala _loved_ the tricks and made sure to teach every. single. one of us when she woke up.

"Yeah," Logan said, rubbing the back of his neck for a moment. "I've been trying to avoid her a little bit."

"Hey, if you can handle my niece, you can handle Kamala Khan," Kate pointed out with a quiet smile.

"I just ... don't want to lose it around her." Logan let out a breath. "She's been requesting missions to learn, and I've been turning them down. Coulson's been taking the heat."

"Then go on a mission with her and someone you think is safe to stop you," Bruce suggested. "She gets along with just about all of us. Me, Scott, Steve, Clint…"

Logan began to nod in response. "Just have to see where Fury puts us first. Looked like he was packing up when I left him in the hangar." He turned toward the door. "Which … I should debrief."

"We're moving again?" Peter grumbled. "That's, like, the fourth time this year."

"I'll know more after I do my debrief," Logan said. "Fury was pretty tweaked that Creed found this place. Personally searching everyone that was coming in and going out. I think Vic just figured it out on his own. He's smarter than most people give him credit for."

"Either way, I think I have to agree with Fury. If this place is compromised, I don't want to stay here," Kurt admitted.

"Yeah," Kate said quietly, "I really, _really_ don't want to stay somewhere that creep knows about."

Logan looked up at Bruce. "You trust me to go debrief and find out what the plan is — or do I need an escort?"

"I think that you've got the point, but if I find out you did need an escort, you'll need more stitches than your friends here," Bruce said, tipping his head Logan's way in answer.

"I'll be back soon enough," Logan said with a nod before he headed out.

Logan hadn't expected the debrief with Fury to be attended so well — Coulson and his whole team were there, of course Skye and May were reporting what they'd learned while Logan was with Shingen. But … they were discussing something else entirely when he'd stepped into the room, and they all fell silent when he appeared.

Logan made his debrief quick, and as soon as he was done, Fury nodded, apparently pleased, before he continued talking about the plan for the move.

"There are a few places we can go -—strictly speaking, my biggest concern is that they're well-hidden in a safe district. Our best bet as far as safety goes is with Seven," Fury said, and Logan didn't miss the little smile and quick straightening up that Skye did on hearing it. "But to use the place I have in mind, we're going to need _permission_." He looked toward Logan for a moment, and the young man wondered what exactly he had in mind for just a moment before he continued. "Are you still on good terms with Smitty?"

"I should be," Logan said. "Last I saw him, we were fine."

"Good. Get some rest," Fury said. "I've already got it set up to talk with him first thing in the morning. You're coming with us."

…...

Translations:

From Japanese:

 _chīsana samuraitsurīkattā_ \- little samurai tree cutter


	24. Two Bottles of Vodka

**Chapter 24 : Two Bottles of Vodka**

* * *

 _December 1_

 _District Seven_

* * *

The snow was deep in Seven where Fury had set it up to meet with Smitty and a handful of the cutters. It turned out that he was running the district, more or less. The men there respected him, and he had a pretty intuitive policy with everyone that felt more like using common sense than anything else.

As the three black-clad SHIELD agents stepped out of the plane, Smitty, Puck, and Michael all seemed to stiffen up slightly. Until they got close enough to see who one of the people in the SHIELD ranks was... and when Fury, May, and Logan stepped close enough to shake hands with him, Smitty quickly introduced himself to Fury and May before he simply picked Logan up off the ground in a bear hug.

"You get into more trouble, boy," Smitty laughed warmly. "I'm glad you're just as good at gettin' out of it." Logan had to chuckle at Smitty's reaction until the inevitable. "God damn, you're skinny. What the hell's wrong with you?" Smitty looked entirely over concerned as he set the young man down and frowned at him.

"God awful time with a girl. Nearly gave up when she refused to divorce me. But that's … somethin' I'm working on. Thanks, Smitty." Logan almost cringed as he stepped back from his semi-adoptive father.

Smitty, however, was only looking that much more concerned at Logan's explanation. "You're not trying to turn featherweight on me are ya?" Smitty teased half heartedly before he cuffed Logan's shoulder, knocking him sideways a step.

"No. And we're not here to talk about the fights," Logan told him.

"We'd like to use the bunkhouses and hide a few of our biggest assets," Fury said. "In exchange for full protection of the entire district provided by SHIELD."

"We'd like to be our own entity, thanks," Michael Twoyoungmen said from behind Smitty.

"We're not even considering interfering with that," Fury replied. "In fact, we'd like to help you defend yourselves from Hydra and any other power-hungry group that rises up."

Smitty looked to Logan for a moment and then pulled him aside to where he and the other two could share a quick, quiet word. "Is he fulla it?"

"No, and if he was, I'd poke his other eye out," Logan said. "I believe the guy." But as he watched his old friends' faces, he couldn't help but think about what Shingen had said about his circle of influence. The three lumberjacks seemed to be more or less mulling it over, and Logan purposefully didn't say anything — wanting them to come to their own conclusions.

"I'll talk to the tribe to see what they think," Twoyoungmen said. "But I don't see a problem with it as long as they don't try to run the place."

"Problem is," Smitty said, "if they do try to pull something, what the hell're we gonna do to stop 'em?"

"They're only looking at Seven because of the good work you've done kicking both them and Hydra out," Logan pointed out. "It's just the Tahiti kids and the victors that they're tryin' to move here."

The three of them that had weighed in looked to Puck, who just shrugged. "Hey. I'm here for the intimidation factor — I ain't got an opinion."

Smitty smirked to himself and clapped a hand on Logan's shoulder, pulling him over so they could walk back to where May and Fury were trying not to look like they were shivering.

"If you wouldn't have shown us our little buddy, we'd have told you to stick it," Smitty said. "I'll have the boys bring some supplies out to the bunks. Logan can show you where they are."

* * *

 _December 2_

 _District Seven_

* * *

It hadn't taken much time at all to get everything moved in, since they weren't moving in troops as much as they were moving a whole bunch of kids and former victors. The guys in Seven had cleared out the bunkhouses to give them a place to stay, and there were even a few lodges for things like offices for the SHIELD higher ups — and a medical setup.

That was actually the thing that took the longest: medical. The equipment couldn't be rushed, and Fury wanted half of it kept under wraps while being transported, since their fast-healing Tahiti-related drugs were still a closely-guarded secret. But they did finally get it all set up, along with the few kids who were still residents of the medical wing — Peter and Bruce and Kurt.

"Figures," Peter said, looking around the place. "Can't even move into our actual rooms. You know everyone already snagged the ones closest to the mess hall."

"Yeah, you and Gwen are absolutely not near the mess hall," Logan told him as he leaned in the doorway. "Besides, that's a whole different building anyhow."

"Me and Gwen?" Peter repeated as Kurt smirked.

"Saving space?" Bruce asked with a little smile of his own.

"Somethin' like that," Logan said with a nod. "There's a few cabins — not big, but they work pretty good for couples. Figured if you had to come here in medical, you deserved one."

"Tell me you got one for me and Kurt," Kate said as she arrived as well — clearly in the same vein of thought as Logan for visiting hours.

"I thought I just did," Logan said as he turned her way.

"Good, because I don't know if you know this, but we're getting married, and we need our own space," Kate said with a crooked grin.

"Well, it won't be big enough for the baby …" Logan said with a troublemaking smirk.

Kate gave him a dry, dry look. "There is no baby," she told him.

He shrugged. "Never know."

"Logan, I think I'd know about that kind of thing _well_ before you did," she pointed out, shaking her head as she crossed the room to where Kurt was slightly pink but still chuckling at both of them.

"That's what I'm sayin'. I don't know what you two are up to," he replied. "But with all the syrupy sweetness around you two …"

"Yeah, go bug Steve and Peggy," Kate said, shooing him with her hands. "They're the ones spending 24/7 locked up in a room together."

"Pretty sure they're not doin' what you think they're doin'," Logan said. "Not since it's become a mission to find and rescue the best man."

"This is true," Peter piped up. "That's why there's no date."

"True," Kurt said thoughtfully. "We should offer to help, you know. I mean, I have _my_ best man back…" he said with a twinkle in his eye in Logan's direction.

"How bout you heal up first?" Logan said.

Kurt gestured at the medical equipment around him. "I should be fine in a few more days, Claire tells me. And you know she always overestimates."

"Because she likes telling people they can leave early," Bruce said, smirking slightly over the top of the book he was reading. "Much better than telling them they're stuck longer than they expected to be."

"Jarella's already getting settled in," Logan told him. "By the time you get cut loose, all the cabins should be ready."

"Typical," Kate said with a teasing sigh. "The boys lounge around while we do all the getting ready." She kissed Kurt's forehead. "I'll make sure my bow and your swords get stored properly. Like on the wall, maybe."

Kurt grinned up at her and stole a quick kiss. "Sounds perfect," he agreed — as the door opened once more, this time to admit Claire.

"Hey, speak of the devil," Kate said with a crooked smile that Claire returned easily.

"I think you mean daredevil," Peter said in a low whisper.

Kate winced theatrically. "That was horrible, Pete."

Peter shrugged openly. "Hey, I call it like I see it. Called you two, didn't I?"

Claire shook her head at him as she directed him to sit up a little further from the pillows so she could address his wrapping and check his stitches. "Get better material, Peter," she told him as she worked, and he grinned wider at that.

"He's got a point, you know," Kate laughed. "You see Matt more than anyone else."

"Because he needs _help_ to stay _alive_ ," Claire pointed out dryly as she moved from Peter on to Bruce.

Claire took care of Peter and Bruce before she moved on to Kurt, changing the bandages around his middle first — and both Kate and Logan were watching more keenly as one of the nurses carefully started to unwrap Kurt's wrist. As soon as she was done, Kate immediately climbed in beside Kurt and rested her chin on his shoulder.

But Logan's focus was suddenly a lot sharper than it had been before, and he was positively locked on to Kurt's wrist. Peter watched him as Logan slowly got to his feet and walked right for the little couple. "How's your wrist?" Logan asked, still not looking up at Kurt's face.

"I'll have a nice scar, I think," Kurt said, watching Logan with slightly narrowed eyes.

"What did he do?" Logan asked, glancing up at Kurt for a second.

Kurt sighed out all his breath. "Nothing worth worrying about. Others have had much worse."

"Show me."

Kurt held Logan's gaze for a long moment before, slowly, he held out his arm. Logan didn't touch it, but his eyes narrowed on seeing the crudely drawn smiley face. He seemed to be grinding his teeth before he looked to Kate. "And you?"

She looked troubled at his expression. "We — we match," she said quietly. He waited for her to do as Kurt had and show him the healing scar. When she finally did, she tried to explain, "I, um, I interrupted Kurt's." But Logan got very very quiet and began to slowly pace again, his hands on his hips.

"Logan," Kurt said quietly, his tone almost pleading. "Really, we'll heal." But it didn't slow him down, and all he did was silently shake his head.

The three kids grew more concerned and watched Logan carefully as at last he decided that it was time to leave. He already knew that getting Fury to have May drop him off by the old 'secret' base wasn't going to happen, and Harry Tabeshaw had been put on notice … so the only option he really had left was to go back and talk to Smitty — explain to him what was going on and see if he could get the boys involved.

* * *

 _December 5_

 _District Seven_

* * *

It was still overly early when Logan came to talk to Natasha and Clint. He knew Clint was still hung up on Bobbi, but he did actually like the guy, and he wanted to be sure that he had someone who could catch him. But he had to hit them just right, and doing it before the world was awake was a good idea. Making sure that it all came together with the weather right … that was a little trickier.

He found them coming in to coffee together after a spar in the makeshift training room, and he waited for them to get their coffee and take a seat before he made his way over.

"Ladies," he said as he took a seat next to Natasha. "You two got any pressing missions lined up for the next day or two?"

"Not til next week, why?" Natasha asked with one eyebrow arched up and a smirk tugging at her expression.

"I got a little favor to ask, and I don't have a big list of people I trust well enough to pull it off," Logan admitted. "It's local, and Fury's watchin' me like a hawk."

"Lies," Clint said over his coffee. "He's only got the one good eye, so he can't keep up with me or Katie."

"And he's amazingly good with what he's got," Logan pointed out. "He shouldn't be able to hit the broad side of a barn, but he's … damn good." He shook his head. "But not the point. I need someone with good instincts to clear my cabin." He produced the keys and set them on the table. "Not that you need 'em, but … save you a few seconds in the cold."

"Much appreciated, in weather like this," Clint said with a grin as he took the keys. "Though you know what they say about skills you don't use."

"Plenty of old Sentinel houses you can play with when the locks aren't frozen," Logan pointed out.

"Are you thinking of leaving us, then?" Natasha asked. "Moving back home?"

"Nah, just gotta make up for a few screwed up birthdays," he replied with a shrug.

Natasha nodded as she thought it over. "We'll clear it for you," she agreed. "Do you need anyone to stay nearby to keep out unwanted guests when you use it? I could use the exercise," she offered.

"I've got half the lumberjacks in the district already patrolling, but if you really want to freeze your ass off, I'm not going to argue it."

She gave him a little look. "I don't get cold," she told him.

"Of course not," he said gruffly. "But if you do, there's two bottles of vodka in the freezer."

She had to laugh at that and shake her head. "Just for me? Is that in payment?" she teased.

"Hell no," he replied with a frown. "I just don't mind sharing."

"Well that's good to hear," she said, still smiling as she leaned back in her chair. "When do you need this done?"

"As soon as you can get around to it," he said. "Not entirely sure when I'll be able to make it there — and the weather can be tricky around here." He was smirking slightly as he finished speaking.

"Great; we'll go by today and bring back the booze for a birthday soiree tomorrow," Clint decided as he finished off his mug.

"If you think you'll be there a while, there's plenty of wood by the back door. Start a fire, keep warm," Logan said. "But Viper made threats — and I'm sure before her, Ronan and God only knows who else probably went through. So take your time."

"And wear gloves," Clint said, making a face. "I know what that stuff'll do to you."

"You and me both," Logan said. "But I'm sure even if there's nothing poisoned, there's probably surveillance."

"We'll get it all," Natasha promised.

"Might even leave Viper a message," Clint said. "You know. Seeing as she probably knows the sign I got in mind for her."

"Oh yeah," Logan said, nodding. "She's familiar with that one. But she's not one for subtlety."

"Probably why she went for you and the other one went for me," Clint said with a smirk. "Balance."

"Yeah, I'm sure that's it," Logan said, nodding. "Have fun."

* * *

It was only a few hours later that Clint and Natasha found themselves at Logan's cabin — and as he'd said, there was definitely evidence of both Hydra and the Capitol getting their sticky fingers all over the place.

The two of them simply shared a look and got down to work, scrubbing every inch of the place to be sure that they didn't miss anything — and between them, they came up with a few bugs and other nasty surprises, not to mention a t-shirt Skye had left behind from her last stay.

At some point while they had been working, the weather had taken a turn, and while the two of them could hear the wind picking up, they didn't pause what they were doing. After all, as Clint said, "Don't want to have to go _back_ over all this if they're tipped to us going through with the half of the house we haven't gotten to yet."

Still, neither of them could have predicted how fast the blizzard came up — or how bad it was …. until the lights went out.

Natasha had to smirk to herself at the colorful invectives coming from the other end of the house after a light thump that she was sure meant Clint had run into something in the dark. She pulled out her flashlight and saw Clint's light in answer a few moments later as the two of them met in the middle of the living room.

"If we hadn't combed every inch of this place, I'd say we tripped something off," Clint said with a frown.

Natasha let out a sigh and shook her head, turning her attention now to tracking down the wood that Logan said would be available to them. "He did warn us," she said simply, but that only had Clint shaking his head and chortling.

"Almost like he planned it."

"What, to get rid of us?"

"You never know with him."

Natasha had to chuckle at that as she continued to gather up what they'd need before she crouched at the fireplace and got a fire crackling there in no time at all — while Clint did one last spot check of the whole place with his flashlight.

"No reason for us to get spied on," he told her with a crooked grin when he sat down next to her, his hands behind his head as he leaned back until he was lying, not sitting, beside her.

She smirked and shook her head his way when she heard him hit the floor and then turned his way. "Did you find—"

Without any further prompting, Clint produced the two bottles of vodka that Logan had promised they would be able to find, and Natasha grinned at him outright. "Good work."

"Hey, I'm good for some things," Clint said, the grin widening as he opened the first bottle.

Natasha rolled her eyes at him but took the bottle all the same, leaned against the bottom of the couch rather than seated on it properly.

For a good long time, the two of them sat there on the floor of Logan's cabin, just listening to the wind howl outside the windows. The fire was plenty warm, but at some point, Clint had gone to get some blankets as well as some food, which somehow ended up as an impromptu picnic right there on the floor.

Natasha smiled to herself as she watched Clint pick everything up, all of the borrowed plates balanced as he made his way to the sink and started on cleanup, and she rolled to her side to watch him a little better. She recognized a few of the songs he was singing under his breath, but she wasn't going to point out that he was doing it. It was actually pretty calming listening to him sing while the storm was still piling snow up outside.

It was a mark of how much vodka they'd had that she hadn't schooled the smile back into place when Clint turned back her way once everything was washed up, and he caught her gaze and broke into a grin. "What?"

She smirked up at him for a moment before she remembered that she shouldn't do that and shook her head. "Nothing," she said. "I was just trying to place the song."

Clint barked out a little laugh. "Oh yeah?" he said in a tone that clearly told Natasha he didn't believe her.

"Something to pass the time," she said with a little shrug — and somehow, that only had him chuckling deeper and grinning wider.

"Alright then," he said as he finished wiping dry his hands and made his way over to drop onto the couch with his head resting just above hers. "See if you can name this one."

Natasha hid her smile as Clint started outright singing — not under his breath and surprisingly _well_ — by opening the second bottle of vodka and getting started on that… and then passing him some. His drunk singing was actually excellent, and she didn't mind fueling it for a few hours' entertainment while they waited for the storm to pass.

* * *

Neither Clint nor Natasha was entirely aware of when they had drifted off last night, but when they woke up the next morning, it was to find that, at some time during the night, Clint must have slid off the couch to where Natasha had fallen asleep on the floor, because his head was in her lap.

Neither of them would admit to being the first one awake either, both of them half frozen as they tried to gauge each other's reactions.

"You sleep alright?" Clint finally croaked out as he pushed himself up to a better sitting position. "That's gotta give you a crick in the neck," he added, gesturing to the way Natasha had fallen asleep propped up against the couch.

Natasha waved off his concern easily. "I'm fine," she said, glancing around the house and not at him before she tipped her head to the side. "Storm's over," she said simply.

"Yeah, I hear that," he said. He pushed himself to his feet and let out a very small groan at the small headache building behind his eyes. He went to the door to check and see how 'snowed in' they were and had to grin when he saw that it wasn't a total whiteout. "We can probably dig out if we gotta," he called over his shoulder.

"Any particular rush?" she called back, and he shrugged in response.

"Not really — just figured people would notice if we went missing is all," he pointed out.

"We're not actually missing," Natasha shot back.

"You think he planned it this way?" Clint asked as he shut the door and leaned against it, shaking his head to himself.

"I think Logan has no control over what the weather does," Natasha told him as she gathered herself up and went to the kitchen in search of some tea or coffee.

"Still..."

"Clint." Natasha raised an eyebrow at him. "Did you have plans?"

"Well, I _was_ gonna try to avoid Wade and the birthday spankings as long as I could—"

"Then we're not going back today," she decided as she found the coffee and got it started. "Problem solved."

He had to laugh and shake his head at that. "Sure thing, Nat. Whatever you say."


	25. Kitty Pryde is Not the Best Ninja

**Chapter 25 : Kitty Pryde Is Not The Best Ninja**

* * *

 _December 11_

 _District Seven_

* * *

Sam, Steve, and Peggy hadn't been able to make any progress in tracking down Bucky — not since the move, not since Kurt had been stabbed by Von Strucker, not since Steve had broken the Skull's arm. And while the three of them seemed content to hide away combing through intelligence to try and find Bucky, Coulson had decided enough was enough.

"This isn't healthy," Coulson said as he broke into the three friends' thoughts. They'd been working in Steve and Peggy's cabin mostly — the one that looked like half of it was command central with maps laid out and on the wall and notations all over on where the last sightings were, with a small laptop propped up that they'd talked Skye into relaying any vital intel on the Skull to them.

"We're just trying to get Bucky back," Steve defended, but Coulson was already shaking his head 'no'.

"If you're going to mount a surveillance detail this heavy, then I can't in good conscience let you waste it like this," Colson said. The three of them looked horrified for a moment before Coulson continued. "So I'd like you to pull in a few people that should be learning this kind of thing. We've got three great kids that all would be exceptional in the surveillance field if they learned how. And I don't think we have another project like this that would be anywhere near as good for them to learn with either."

The three of them shared a look before Steve decided to clarify: "So you're alright with us keeping our search going?"

"I'm not alright with the three of you holing up in here and enacting your personal agenda. But I am alright if you're training a few kids to do exactly what the three of you are doing."

It wasn't an hour after Steve agreed that he found himself looking at the eager faces of Kitty, Miles, and Kamala.

"Kitty has an interest in computers, and when she's not with you, she's picking Skye's brain," Coulson said as he smiled lightly Kitty's way. "She's kind of a prodigy when it comes to hacking." Steve smiled at her as Coulson moved on to lay out his next 'recruit's' talents.

"Miles has an excellent memory for details," Coulson prompted as the younger boy waved with the tips of his fingers at the three friends. "He's been working with our science division, mostly on the biomedical side, but he has good instincts and has been scoring high in strength and hand-to-hand when he cares to train." He gave Miles a little look. "With a little more discipline, he could be a good asset in the field _and_ the lab."

When Coulson looked Kamala's way, the young girl was halfway bouncing and nervous, and Coulson's expression turned a little kinder. "Kamala here seems to be able to get into anything — tight spaces included. She and Cassie Lang both are excellent when it comes to engineering, but she wants more field training."

"I think I can work well with all of you," Steve said with a tight, businesslike smile. "So how about we get down to it?"

"Sounds like a plan to me," Kitty said, already moving to stand by Peggy and look over all the data. "Whatcha got?"

"Right now, we're just looking for a lead," Peggy replied. "Little snippets here and there — but nothing solid to go on, unfortunately."

"Well," Kamala said with a shy smile. "Maybe you just need fresh eyes."

* * *

 _December 14_

 _District Seven_

* * *

Steve, Sam and Peggy had been working with some of the youngest of the Tahiti kids for a few days now, showing them how to comb through intelligence and how to streamline the mounds of data that came in on a daily basis.

Already, the kids were taking to it well — especially Kitty, who had taken Skye's setup on the little laptop and parsed it down in a computer program that would sort through the intel for key words and other markers.

But the real breakthrough came from Miles — who didn't even seem to realize that he'd found anything. He was more asking out of curiosity as he pulled Sam aside to show him a few spots on the maps they'd laid out.

"So. I know after the _disaster_ that went down with Pete and his team and the whole Viper situation that Twelve got a thorough check over? But…" He pointed at a few spots on the map, along with some corresponding reports. "Doesn't that seem like a lot of chatter to you? I mean, especially for a district that size..."

Sam leaned over to follow Miles' point and frowned when he saw the pattern Miles had spotted. "It does, yeah," he agreed, his hand on Miles' shoulder as encouragement for his old tribute.

"We're still not entirely sure what they were doing in Twelve to begin with," Steve said. "They weren't mining for coal, that's for sure. But it's gotta be more than that."

"Well, if _I_ were a super secret bad guy who didn't want to get caught doing super secret things, I'd hide in a teeny tiny district no one goes to," Miles said.

"Is that some kind of confession, little man?" Sam asked with a teasing smirk.

"Oh yeah," Miles said with a little laugh. "I'm a real menace."

"Then maybe we should investigate our evil Spider-genius' theory," Sam said, turning to Steve. "Whatcha think, Cap?"

Steve started to nod as he looked over the newest intel. "Probably be a good place to start. We can get an on-the-ground look at what's going on. But just a look."

"But what if we find something?" Kamala asked. "I mean, we _do_ need field experience."

"Then we're going to follow it by the book and radio Hill for backup if we need it."

" _Pshaw_." Miles grinned up at Sam. "We won't need it. We've got Cap and the Falcon."

"Let's just … take it as it comes," Steve said with a laugh and a self-deprecating smile.

It didn't take long at all to get the clearance from Coulson to take the little group out for what Sam promised was intelligence-gathering. But while all three of the younger kids were excited to go to Twelve and possible see some action… it became quickly apparent that surveillance was a lot less exciting than they had hoped.

The girls were the first to fall to the boredom monster and were already counting bugs and pretending to squish Hydra heads, complete with sound effects and fake tiny screams as they tried to make it something at least halfway entertaining. Miles was trying to keep it professional, but it wasn't too long before he too was joining them in their impromptu merrymaking, particularly since it was Kamala that had invited him into it, and he had a big problem telling her 'no.'

Steve was frustrated that they couldn't keep on task — their minds clearly wandering too far. Miles finally realized how irritated he was and abandoned their games in favor of trying to draw out the lay of the town in the sand by his feet.

Kamala started to help him, and they had an impressive map by the time that Steve and Sam realized what they had done.

"That's actually pretty good," Steve said to her. "Good to know the territory if you can."

With Sam on surveillance and Steve coaching Kamala and Miles to finish their map, the time seemed to pass a bit more easily, and before long, the whole of the group had gotten involved in memorizing the little map in front of them. They didn't know the names of the streets, so they named them so they could reference them if they needed to — using silly things like 'pinecone avenue' and 'black rock lane' to commit them to memory.

Miles and Kamala were taking their turn watching and observing when things started to get interesting. "We have a line of unexpected traffic on turkey feather road," Miles said quietly.

"There are a _lot_ of scary black cars out there," Kamala agreed, drawing Steve's attention from the doodling he was doing in his notebook.

"Just watch them; see if it's anything worth concerning ourselves with," he told them. There was no reason for him to be concerned. There was literally _nothing_ on the radar that should have been going on in Twelve, but... when Kitty narrowed her eyes and abandoned the memorization and slipped from her post, Steve knew he had major trouble on his hands.

She was halfway down the hill headed to town before Steve or Sam could stop her, and by then she was far enough that they had to rush down after her; she was too far away to call after her and too close to risk her radio blaring and alerting the creeps in the black cars to her position.

"What are you doing?" Sam said as loudly as he dared as he caught up to her. "We're observing. That's all."

"No," Kitty insisted. "I'm going to take care of the creep that's in the big car. I won't be long!" She peeled his hand off of her arm, and before he could say another word, they were off like a shot around to the back side of the building — Kamala and Miles apparently following Kitty's lead.

Steve glanced Sam's way before the former victor grinned and shrugged, headed after the kids, and he grumbled to himself before he very quickly radioed in that something was off in Twelve and that there were some kind of big guns there.

"We're moving in for a closer look," he told them through gritted teeth. He wasn't surprised in the least when Coulson gave them the go ahead, but he was going to have _words_ with these kids when this was all said and done.

It was clear that the little brunette leading the way already knew who was in the big car by the way she had her sword out and was practically bouncing on her heels ready for a fight. And more frustrating still, Kamala looked more excited to see the sword fight than anything else. Sam had no idea she'd been deprived of field time like that.

"Hey!" Steve half whisper-shouted to them. "We are _not_ engaging these creeps! It's too dangerous."

"Maybe _you_ aren't," Kitty countered. "But _I_ am." She flipped the sword in her hand and nodded once to herself as she prepared to start it up.

"No, you're not," Steve said, drawing himself up to his full height. "You're going to get hurt. And we're not authorized to do this."

"We don't need a step by step plan every time, Cap," Kitty said almost cheerfully. "Besides. These creeps have your _best friend,_ so shouldn't we hurry up and get him out before it's too deep in his head?"

"Yeah, I bet if we capture one of the higher ups, they'll know more than _all_ the info back at Carter Base One." Miles grinned Steve's way.

"Hey," Kitty said, dropping all playfulness from her expression. "If _I'm_ in a hurry to see Bucky safe and sound — it's urgent. I know he felt like human garbage when he killed me — just like _you_ had to feel like crap when you killed Kate. He needs to get out of there fast."

"She has a point," Sam said gently, and Steve et out all his breath.

"Alright, but let _us_ handle the higher-ups," he told the kids with as stern of an expression as he could manage.

"Got your back, Cap," Kitty said in a lot gentler tone than he'd heard from her all day.

The five of them crept quietly around what should have been an abandoned mine — though this time around, after what had happened with Clint, they were exceedingly careful about avoiding any traps or tripping any alarms. Miles seemed to have almost a sixth sense about it, too, though both Sam and Steve knew that it was luck more than anything else that got them in as deep as they did without being spotted.

"I'm going for a better vantage point," Kitty said, a determined look on her face. "I can get across the road and up that little hill."

"Keep your comm on," Sam advised. "And if you need help, _call for it_ ," he added in a much more serious tone.

"Got it. And don't forget to follow your own advice. If your butt needs saving — I'll be there." Kitty shot a little smile his way before she all but disappeared to head to her new position.

The remaining four in the group pressed on a little closer to the ground as Kitty went to explore, but the second the gunfire rang out further out — toward where Kitty had disappeared — both Steve and Sam looked like they had lost all the blood in their faces.

"I got it," Steve said, rushing toward where they'd last seen Kitty — but if he'd been expecting to find her in trouble, he was simply surprised to see that, while she was definitely in _danger_ , she wasn't in _trouble_ in the least.

From the uniform design, Steve knew that these weren't just the usual Hydra ground forces. They were part of Strucker's armies — so there was no way they were just _missing_ Kitty. Somehow, she just seemed to be able to get out of the way, hide, or otherwise dodge — not a single shot had managed to tag the young girl they were shooting at. If Steve wasn't holding his breath and panicking, just _waiting_ for her luck to run out, he would have been far more impressed.

Still, when he realized that the fight was drawing attention, he knew that Kitty would be overwhelmed soon and readjusted his grip on the shield and shook his head to himself before he rushed in to help before the official-looking group further out could get there. "Falcon, I've got Shadowcat covered, but it looks like we're about to have high-ranking company."

"On it," Sam replied over the comms, though Steve could hear Kamala's giddy excited giggle on the other side too.

As Steve and Kitty tried to keep up their streak of making the soldiers look incompetent, Sam took the other two kids around the side of the hill, though he was sure to give them a stern look as he did so. "Miles, you're in charge of radioing back to Hill once we see who we're up against," he told the young man. "Neither of you are up to engaging Hydra's leaders — _stick to the soldiers_."

"Um, tell that to them?" Miles called back.

Sam just shook his head. "Let's just see what we're up against," he said, readjusting the straps on the flight pack he usually carried — not _quite_ the same as the full suit, but it would do in a pinch.

But when Sam and the two youngest members of the team caught up to the official group — he almost immediately pushed the two kids back around the corner with a hissed "stay _down_ " when he saw not only Von Strucker but also Bobbi Morse.

"Is it Viper? Because there's a bet …"

"It's not Viper. Stay _down_ ," he told Miles.

"Alright, alright, I'm down … I'm just saying. There are ongoing wagers that are up for grabs, and if it's not Viper then we don't have to worry about being poisoned, right?"

"Mockingbird is Viper's right hand. Stay. Down," Sam told him even as he stepped around the corner again to draw Bobbi and Strucker's attention away from the others. "Hey, Morse. Long time no see," he called out.

Before she could even react to him, Werner pushed past her, ready to engage on her behalf. He rushed Sam and started his attack with a sword in hand, trying to simply cut him down on the spot.

"Woah. Oh, okay, we're sword fighting now," Sam said, a bit wide-eyed as he dodged back from the strike. He didn't have a sword himself, but the moment he drew one of his guns, Werner — who had clearly learned from his father — sliced through the barrel, forcing Sam to do a whole lot more dodging and weaving to steer clear of the sharp edge.

As soon as Sam was busy with Werner, Miles took the moment of distraction and shot webbing Bobbi's way, hoping to help incapacitate a Hydra head for a moment anyhow. He didn't hit exactly where he wanted, but he did web one of her hands to her hip. "Ha!" he shouted, raising both hands in triumph before he realized a moment too late that he might have drawn some attention his way.

Kamala glanced his way with a worried look as several of Strucker's men turned their attention to the two of them. "Well," she said slowly, "Sam _did_ say to fight the soldiers."

"Capture, not kill," Bobbi shouted to the soldiers that were headed their way as she tried to get the webbing off and free her arm.

"I… am not sure if that's a good or bad thing," Miles muttered to Kamala as both of them took up positions to fight.

"Bad," she whispered back when she saw the expressions of rage on their faces. "Definitely bad."

With Sam distracted trying not to meet the business end of Werner's sword and Miles and Kamala facing down Strucker's men — that just left Steve and Kitty on the other side of the hill, and they were the only ones faring _well_ in this fight.

Steve had just caught his shield after ricocheting it off a couple Hydra soldiers when he turned to Kitty to see that she had managed to get hold of one of the soldier's guns and dismantled it. He grinned her way, she nodded back, and they both moved in tandem to cut and bash through the remaining soldiers, building up a good rhythm right up — until they heard Kamala let out a terrified scream.

Steve froze and glanced to Kitty, who was wearing almost the exact same expression of concern, and wordlessly, the two of them sprinting forward, plowing through the other soldiers in time to see one of Strucker's soldiers all but dragging Kamala to where Bobbi and Strucker were — with Sam in the air having an in-flight wrestling match with Werner as the young man tried to pull at Sam's equipment and Miles clearly losing his own wrestling match with a couple soldiers.

Both of them rushed toward the Hydra leadership, but instead of breaking Kamala free like Steve had directed, Kitty went right for Strucker, sword flashing. Steve managed to body check her out of his path with a curse just before he bashed the soldier holding Kamala square in the face with his shield.

It didn't stop Kitty from taking on Hydra leadership — but it did at least deflect her to Bobbi, leaving Strucker for Steve to tackle. Strucker had seen the sword in her hand and knew she had to be there for him, but before he could take a shot at the girl, he ended up with a shield bash of his own, and sparks flew off the curved surface as Strucker's blade came down.

"What, you'd rather fight a little girl?" Steve shot Strucker's way as he pulled the shield back for another strike.

Strucker sneered and shoved back at him. "I'd rather fight someone who is actually armed instead of hiding behind a shield."

"Wasn't a problem when I broke your boss's arm," Steve shot back, his eyes narrowed.

Anger flashed in his eyes as he took a more offensive stance. "We'll have to fix that today then when I bring back news on your death — though I'm sure Miss Morse could make you into a spectacular Hydra agent."

Steve glanced toward Bobbi, who was having a slightly harder time than the other two Hydra leaders, since she was matching Kitty's sword strikes with her staves — one-handed. "Yeah. She looks real threatening," Steve said before he launched himself forward, and the two men fell into a wordless fight, more focused on tearing each other down physically than on taunts for the moment.

Not too long into their fight, Kitty managed a decent hit on Bobbi through the arm — forcing her to drop the stave in her hand, and not expecting her to be more of a threat, she rushed in to help Steve with a breathy "Got your back, Cap, remember?"

Steve shot her a little grin before he managed to get his shield up between himself and Von Strucker as the man went for a blow that would have taken his head off — then kicked out to push Steve back into a knot of soldiers just waiting for the chance to prove themselves against one of SHIELD's Tahiti operatives.

With a sneer, he turned his full attention Kitty's way and adjusted his stance to one more like fencing than the hard fighting he and Steve had been doing — though he was winded and bruised in several places, looking nothing like his 'baron' title.

She tossed her head to keep her long bangs out of her face as she simply started dodging and blocking his initial strikes, though he kept her moving and unable to even attempt to try for a strike of her own.

She proved to be frustratingly hard to hit, though, and he was getting angrier with each missed strike. "It's just a matter of time, my dear," he told her as she dodged a move. He simply couldn't understand how she'd managed to avoid it, and in a flash he started to change his tactics, only smiling again when she was forced to actually block him two-handed and stop moving.

"It is — but not the way you think," Kitty replied before she _finally_ had an opening to strike back. When Strucker blocked it, though — with enough force to make her hands and arms momentarily numb, she realized she was in way over her head.

But he didn't get a chance to follow up with his second hit as Steve returned to the fight, blocking the follow up with his shield and a ringing clang. "Got your back, Kitty," he whispered to her while Strucker was rushing back toward them in a rage.

She grinned up at him, hope renewed by his timely reappearance, and the two of them fell into an unspoken agreement. She backed off quickly, keeping the other Hydra soldiers off of them as Steve engaged Strucker, and whenever she could, she'd take a shot at Strucker when he was overly focused on Steve.

She wasn't able to land a solid hit, but when he was forced to block her strikes — it left him wide open for Steve to bash him hard. After he'd turned to block a jab that would have likely gone right through his middle, Steve hit him hard enough to stagger him.

As Strucker tried to keep his balance, Kitty darted closer than she'd been before, and with a grunt of exertion, she threw her all into a slash that cut him just above the knee from behind, severing a hamstring.

He cried out in pain — but used his momentum as he went to one knee to send his sword through Kitty's stomach.

Steve momentarily forgot about Strucker in favor of rushing to Kitty as the young woman started to panic. She'd never really been injured this badly outside of the Games ... and last time …

"Werner!" Strucker called out as his soldiers swarmed to protect him, and the young man fighting Sam turned to see that his father was in trouble and Bobbi was useless in a fight — one arm still pinned and the other bleeding badly. He tried to distance himself from Sam with a dirty blow below the belt, as the soldiers moved from trying to take the kids in to trying to get all three of their leaders to safety.

Steve was trying to put pressure where Kitty was bleeding as Sam shakily touched down next to him and looked incredibly concerned. He glanced to the other two members of their team — as Kamala flat out decked a soldier who had managed to get a hand on Miles and thought he might at least take one of the kids with him — and called it.

"Back to the jet," he told the kids at large, though it was mostly for Steve's benefit to get him moving as both he and Kitty looked panicked over her injuries. As soon as Steve got to his feet, clutching Kitty, Sam grabbed Miles to get him to his feet, frowning when he realized that both he and Kamala had been bashed up by the soldiers.

Frustrated with how horribly the mission had gone, Sam shouted for Miles to help Kamala while he forced his way through the crowd left, with a blue Hydra gun in his hand. After the first shot, the enemies realized how serious he was and simply cleared a path — their assignment to ensure that Von Strucker and Bobbi were safe, not to concern themselves with failed combatants.

Miles was using his one good arm to support Kamala, who was clearly hurting now that the adrenaline rush of saving him had passed, though Sam knew they'd have to wait until they got on the jet before he could check them over.

Both of the kids looked positively pale by the time they caught up with Steve and Kitty, and Miles gasped out, "Who's flying this flying circus?"

"I've got it," Sam promised. "Just … get in the damn plane already. This is what happens when you don't listen!"

The younger kids looked positively subdued as they made their way into the jet, and Steve made sure to check over the basic patchwork on the other two as they tried to put a stop to the worst of the bleeding before Sam put them in the air and rushed them back to Seven.

((and good here too)) (woo hoo!))

* * *

 **Chapter 26: Super High Snuggles**

… _.._

 _December 14_

 _District Seven_

* * *

When Steve's group got back to Seven, medical was ready and waiting — but they weren't entirely prepared for the number of deep stab wounds involved. Kitty and Kamala were rushed off to surgery — with a stab wound and a bullet wound respectively — with Miles close behind them with a serious head wound. For the first time in anyone's memory, Steve tried to put off being treated as long as possible, pacing and worrying about them as Sam stuck to his side as he was patched up.

"It's really not your fault," Sam tried to tell him. "They saw him and …. they _had to_."

"I ran the mission," Steve insisted. "It's my job — my fault. I'm responsible for you and everyone else along with you while you're under my command."

"Steve," Sam said reasonably. "You can't stop everyone, and those kids were dying for some action. You did all you could."

But he shook his head. "Should have put them all back in the plane the second we saw those big cars. No reason for any of those kids to be that close to danger," Steve said, though Sam noticed that his voice was growing quieter with every word.

"You didn't let them look at you yet," Sam said with his eyebrows raised. "Did you?"

"I need to see this through to the end, make sure they're all okay," Steve said, almost brushing him off.

Sam rolled his eyes and turned to the doctor finishing up a few stitches on his back where Werner had managed to tag him. "I'm not gonna bleed out — and this idiot needs fixing. Don't let him tell you he's okay. Just treat him like you do Clint or Logan and knock his fool ass out if he gives you too much trouble."

Steve looked almost insulted at that. "I don't want to be drugged or incapacitated until I know you're all safe."

"Well that's too bad," Claire told him, frowning as she saw the damage he'd been dealt by Von Strucker. "Because you need surgery, not a bandaid. Besides, you're not in enemy territory. You're in our medical facility. Relax, Cap."

"I can still walk on my own steam," he argued. "Can't it wait?"

She put her hands on her hips and shot Sam a glance. "Tell you what, tough guy," Claire told him. "How about you try to get past me. Go on. Try." She put her hand on the center of his chest, and as soon as he started to push to stand up, she shoved him back one-handed. "And that, my friend, is proof positive that you _need_ to shut up and let me do my job."

Sam was smiling openly at Claire. "That's right. Gotta listen to Claire. That's where the smart money is anyhow."

Claire rolled her eye at him and simply got to work, though she was sure to take her time patching Steve up.

It wasn't until much later that word got around the base as to what had happened on the mission, and it was dark out by the time that Kurt and Logan found themselves in medical talking to Sam.

The kids and Steve were all laid out around them on hospital beds, still drugged and sleeping soundly after their surgeries.

"It was a disaster," Sam told them quietly. "We were supposed to observe, but your girl Kitty got her dander up and pushed for more." He was watching Kurt's expression as he went from worry to concern. "Pretty sure she was trying to run it as a vendetta kind of thing, but that girl had no business taking Von Strucker on. She got him with a lucky shot but …" He shook his head slowly. "Man. Someone's gotta have a talk with her before she gets herself killed."

"She's always been headstrong," Kurt said with a frown as his gaze was on Kitty still sleeping soundly. "But taking on Von Strucker…" He shook his head. " _Katzchen_ , really."

"And the rest of 'em?" Logan asked, frowning Sam's way. "They all couldn't have been that stupid."

"Kamala and Miles were doing alright," Sam said, looking a little proud as he added, "Miles tagged Bobbi with that webbing stuff, and she was one-handed up until Kitty got her other arm. But he celebrated a little too loudly and drew attention. Typical kids stuff, you know?"

"So what do you think it's gonna take?" Logan asked. "Aside from a roll of duct tape?"

Sam shrugged up on shoulder. "They _need_ field experience. All of them. They just don't _know_ what they're doing, and training is only good for so much."

"And we're at a serious disadvantage with no Danger Room," Logan agreed.

"Miles can keep his mouth shut — better than Pete, actually," Sam said with a smirk. "He's just… he's fifteen, man."

"Like that's hard to be quieter than Parker," Logan muttered.

"Kamala _has_ asked for more training," Kurt said thoughtfully. "She asked me to help her in hand-to-hand when Matt was busy."

"Yeah, I got the first hint you were dropping the other day," Logan replied dryly. "Message received. Loud and clear."

Sam chuckled at that. "If you need another standing dummy…" he said with a twinkle in his eye.

"You did make a fine dummy," Logan replied.

"Quill too, but at this point, he's a little distracted with that one," Sam said, tipping his head Kitty's way. "You know the only reason he's not here right now is he's out on a mission, right?"

"Yes, I assumed that was the case," Kurt said, shaking his head. "Should we get Peter in to sit with Miles and give him a stern talking to ... or have a joke competition, I'm not sure which."

"Probably both," Sam said with a smirk.

"And I'd win," Miles mumbled sleepily as all three of them turned in surprise to find that the young man was stirring awake.

"Hey, Spider-kid," Sam said with a grin. "How long you been awake?"

Miles stared at Sam for a moment like he was straining to hear him, eyes narrowed, before he tipped his head to the side and, in a voice louder than was necessary, said, "Oooh, I dunno. In and out."

"You feeling any better?"

Miles nodded and then started to get up, which had Sam rushing to make sure he stayed where he was. "Whassmatter?" he half-bellowed.

Sam all but wrestled him back down and then shook his head in disbelief. "You can't — you just had surgery, Miles. You have to stay put."

" _Why?_ "

"Because nobody here wants to see you hurt yourself and they definitely don't want to see under that gown," Sam said, gesturing to the other two, who were very nearly to the point of laughter watching Sam try to reason with the very loud, very high spider.

"Can't get hurt if I'm made of fluff!" Miles called out in an almost sing-song voice.

"Yeah, and as I understand it, we're going to fix that once you're back on your feet," Sam said with a shake of his head. "Now knock it off, or Celia is going to have to tie you down."

"Ooh, no. That would be bad," Miles agreed very seriously, patting the blanket to show that he was staying put.

"Come on, kiddo, you don't want that kind of reputation," Sam told him with a smile as he helped the boy get situated.

"I don't want _any_ kind of reputation," Miles said, getting louder on the 'any'. "I'm _dating_ Kamala. Shhh." He put a finger to his lips. "No reputation allowed or I'm so so _so_ dead."

"Does that mean you're givin' up your competition for best Spider?" Logan asked.

"That's not a competition — that's a _fact_."

"We'll see once we start trainin'. Petey said he wanted in," Logan told him.

Miles broke into a grin. "Yes good. Long live the spiders!" He raised both hands in the air then belatedly pulled them back to his center, shooshing the others overly loudly.

Logan turned to Kurt, already dropping his voice lower. "Why am I agreeing to this again?"

"Because you'd like to see them live to adulthood," Kurt said, though his eyes were twinkling with laughter he wasn't trying too hard to suppress.

"Great, then you can help," he said as he clapped his hand on Kurt's shoulder.

"I'm already helping Kitty with her form — isn't that right, _katzchen_?" Kurt called her way, catching the fact that her shoulders were shaking with little giggles despite the fact that she hadn't much moved otherwise.

"Oh yeah," Kitty said, still giggling. "Best teacher in the world."

"See?" Logan said. "They need _you._ "

"I teach fencing," Kurt said with a laugh. "And both of our Spidermen are horrible at it."

"Then you better step it up, Elf."

"He lets me throw him too," Kamala mumbled out, her eyes still closed as she was starting to wake up.

"I'm going to compete with Peter, Kamala," Miles shouted back. "In a head-to-head spider-match up!"

"You're loud," Kamala said, blinking and rubbing at her eyes. "Why are you loud?"

Logan let out a sigh and headed over to try and help her get more comfortable. "He's high," Logan explained quietly as he dimmed the lights that were shining in her eyes. "He'll probably be back to himself in a few hours." He looked her over as she tried to get comfortable. "You need anything, darlin'?"

She didn't actually answer him except to grab onto his wrist and try and tug at him.

He raised an eyebrow but took a step closer as she made an exaggerated pull. "Okay, whatcha need?" he asked.

"Come _here_ ," she said, still tugging. He shook his head and took a seat on the edge of her bed, and as soon as he was within range, she did her best to try and snuggle into him, wrapping her arms around his middle. .

Logan was a little surprised at her reaction but chalked it up to drugs and shifted to try and get her more comfortable while he rolled with it and put his arm around her. "You sure you don't want me to get you something?"

"No, this is good," she insisted.

He looked at her for a moment longer and decided to try and settle in himself too, half chuckling when she easily made room without letting go of him or loosening her grip more than to rearrange herself so her head was on his shoulder before she snuggled in deeper, still hugging him tightly.

"I think she likes having you around, _mein Freund,"_ Kurt chuckled.

"One of two, apparently. You set her up, didn't you, Elf?" Logan accused his friend with a little laugh, giving Kamala a little squeeze, which only got a more contented smile out of her.

Kurt shook his head. "If I'd known that was how Kamala reacts to morphine, I would definitely have set her up," he said with a smirk. "But I can honestly say I was surprised too."

"How long you think this is going to take to wear off?" Logan asked, leaning back slightly.

"Likely longer than you think," Kurt said, still chuckling at the situation. "None of them have ever had to be on morphine before."

"Well I guess my plans have been altered for the night," Logan replied, settling in a little more.

"I'll break the news to Skye," Kurt laughed. "I'm sure she won't mind sharing when she hears it's Kamala — and that Kamala was hurt too."

* * *

 _December 15_

 _District Seven_

* * *

When Logan woke up the next morning, he was still well and truly pinned. Kamala had snuggled even deeper into him while she was asleep, using his chest for a pillow, and he didn't want to move and wake her up, so he shifted slightly so she would be more comfortable, waiting for her to wake up — though of the other medical residents, it was Kitty who woke up next.

She picked her head up the slightest bit and grinned Logan's way. "Oh, I hope she remembers this when she wakes up," she said. "She was convinced you hated her."

"Why would she think that?" Logan asked softly, trying to find a way out from under the extra blanket Skye had brought in that Kamala was half tangled in. The suppressed giggles had almost been enough to wake up the sleeping injured girl.

"Because you've been avoiding her, and she's smart enough to know it," Kitty said, pushing herself up on her elbows to look at him better.

"And not everyone knows the whole story," Logan said, nodding his head. "It's not her. It's me and my lousy control level. Little shorter fuse than I had before."

"Nothing wrong with being a little hot-headed sometimes," Kitty said with a crooked smile.

"Problem is, it seems like once I get started, I can't stop," he admitted. "I don't really want the younger kids around when that happens. You get that, right?"

"Sure I do," Kitty said. "But we're not stupid — we can clear out if you start taking swings," she added. "Not like you're going to bust out and attack one of us in the middle of nowhere."

"I could have when I got back," he told her. "Still don't trust that it won't happen."

She raised both eyebrows at that. "Well, Kurt trusts you."

"Kurt suffers from what I think is called 'fatal optimism'."

"Yeah, but I trust Kurt," Kitty said stubbornly.

"So do I, but he can still be wrong," Logan replied.

She rolled her eyes. "It wouldn't kill you to be nice to Kamala and a few other kids, you know? It's not like you have to make them think you hate them just to keep from stabbing them. Kinda counterintuitive, if you ask me," she said.

"Well I didn't ask you," he said. "What I'd like to know was what the hell you were thinking going after Von Strucker like that?"

She shrugged, though her expression turned a bit defensive. "He ticked me off."

Logan let out a sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Come on. You're not that stupid. You just said so yourself."

"He stabbed _Kurt_ ," Kitty said. "That's my best friend, you know."

"Yeah, I know," he agreed, nodding. "But he stabbed Kurt in a sword fight that he was keeping pace for. You think you got the fuzzy Elf beat in swordsmanship?"

"No, but I'm pretty good," Kitty shot back.

"Then what the hell were you thinking?"

"Steve was there!" Kitty pointed out. "It's not like I went in _alone_."

"Kitten, that's not a good enough excuse," Logan replied gently.

"So I can't help Steve take on _two_ Hydra big bads at once?"

"Steve can take care of himself," Logan said. "He's not the one that had to be carried out."

"It was a sucker shot, Logan — he got me after I hamstringed him."

"And the hamstring you gave him was a sucker shot too," he said. "I heard already from Sam."

"And you could do better?" she challenged.

"Yeah," he argued lightly. "At least I know how to block him and put him on the defensive."

"Then prove it — teach me!" she said, a flash of triumph in her gaze.

"Why should I? Not like you're gonna listen. You'll just learn enough to think you got it covered, then go out and try to get yourself killed."

"I'm gonna go out there and fight bad guys anyway — better if I know how," she argued.

"Better if you put in the _work_. And I'm not sure I believe you can do it," Logan replied with a little flash to his gaze.

She looked honestly insulted. " _Excuse_ you. I can handle anything you throw at me!"

"You think so, eh?"

"I know so!"

"Then prove it."

She thrust her chin out at him for a moment. "Fine. As soon as I'm out of this bed, we're starting up training, mister."

"Hopefully, you won't be too far behind the rest of the group when you do finally get around to it," Logan said.

"I'll help her catch up," Kamala said very quietly into Logan's shoulder.

He turned her way and tipped his head down to look at her. "How long have you been awake?"

"Since Kitty started yelling," Kamala said with a sheepish smile and sounding tired.

"That long, huh?"

"I thought maybe you'd stop and I could go back to sleep…" She shook her head and let out a sigh. "But if you're really gonna train, can I come too?"

"Absolutely," he told her quietly.

She gave him a grin that was pure relief and nodded. "Oh good. I didn't want to get left out."

"Are you alright now?" he asked. "I thought you might rest better if I got out of your way."

She looked around and seemed to realize that she was lying on him and let out a little squeak of surprise and near terror. "Oh… please oh please don't tell _anyone_ oh crap. If Ami ever heard—"

"You're fine," he promised.

"I wasn't trying to — I don't really remember—"

"You were drugged up," Logan told her. "And apparently needed a hug. That's all."

"Yeah, drugged up snuggles don't count," Kitty chuckled. "We all know if you were awake it'd be Miles anyway."

"I was on top of the blanket," he told her. "You can thank Skye for the extra one."

Kamala looked between the two of them for a moment, still a little wide-eyed, before she finally seemed to relax and nodded. "I like your girlfriend," she said with a little smile.

"I'll ask her to keep the teasing to a bare minimum," he promised, and she nodded, relaxing back into him for a moment before she did, in fact, drift back off.


	26. Unpredictable Weather

**Chapter 26: Unpredictable Weather**

* * *

December 18

District Seven

* * *

Skye got up the morning of her birthday to find Logan looking out the window with a thoughtful expression on his face. "What?" she asked, making her way over to him. "Is something wrong?" He'd been watching the skies over the mountains for days, and he was concentrating way too hard for it to be passive observation.

He drew in a deep breath and gave her a good morning kiss before he smirked at her. "Wrong? No … but there's gonna be a good storm blowin' in. It's been buildin' for a few days now. Do with that what you will, but I was thinkin' it might be a good time to lock a couple people in a warm, cozy cabin."

She grinned crookedly at him with trouble sparkling in her eyes. "I can tell them it's a birthday dinner." Her eyes widened, and she let her mouth drop open. "Oooh, it can be _candle lit_."

He raised his eyebrows and nodded once. "If that's what you want, darlin'," he said.

She grinned at him and threw her arms around his neck to kiss him much more solidly. "This is going to be _fun_ ," she said with a troublemaking sparkle in her eyes before she dashed off to go find the cabin that Fitzsimmons shared — a little bigger than the other shared cabins so they could have a lab in there, with beds up in the loft area.

It wasn't the ideal setup, but then, after being chased out of so many other bases, they had to work with what they had. Still, it was clear the two of them missed their old lab.

"This is going to take twice as long," Skye heard Simmons saying as she peeked into the room to see them both frowning over some specs, though her friend straightened up when she saw Skye and waved at her merrily. "Oh! Happy birthday! What are you doing here when you should be celebrating?"

"That's actually what I was here for," Skye said with a little laugh. "I was wondering if you guys would come to this little place I know for dinner."

"A place you know from all the time you've spent in this district?" Fitz teased.

"Maybe," Skye countered, crossing her arms and tipping her nose up. "So are you coming or not?"

Fitz and Simmons glanced at each other before almost in unison turning her way and nodding together. "Yes. Please," Fitz said.

"Sounds like fun," Simmons said at the same time.

Skye beamed at both of them and tilted her head toward the door. "Come on then," she said. "Unless you've got something pressing?"

Both of the scientists shook their heads. "Oh no," Simmons said.

"We were just going over some schematics—"

"Just a theoretical exercise—"

"Not at all something we could do here—"

"Not in this weather—"

"And the electrical requirements alone…!"

"If it's just theoretical, then the answer is _no_ ," Skye said in response to their back and forth.

"Yes, right," Simmons said quickly. "Ah ... do we need to bring… oh, I doubt there's anything with a dress code here."

"Just be comfortable, if that's possible," she told her with a smirk.

"Well, aside from freezing, I think we can manage," Simmons said even as Fitz handed her the warmest coat she had as they headed out the door.

Logan had taken his sweet time before he finally agreed that it was time to go, and Skye was giving him a look, questioning what he was up to as they walked through the snow. "Just don't worry about anything, alright?" he told her. "It's fine."

"But no one's left the bunkhouses all day. It's going to be freezing," she said quietly before she smiled at Simmons over her shoulder.

"Not a chance," Logan argued quietly. "Just relax and trust me on this one."

When they got to his cabin on the far end of town, the walk up to the front door was shoveled and swept clean, and it was clear that a fire was going in the fireplace from the smoke curling up from the chimney. The doors were unlocked, and when they stepped inside, the place was toasty warm — and dinner was waiting for them on the table.

"Happy birthday," Logan told her with a kiss once they were all inside and the door closed behind them. "Hope this'll work."

Skye looked positively stunned for a moment before she broke into a laugh and threw her arms around his neck. "I should just… stop doubting you," she said, shaking her head. "It's amazing."

"Well, show 'em around, Director. It's your show today."

Fitz and Simmons were looking around the place wide-eyed as Skye draped an arm around both of their shoulders. "I don't… how did you set this up?" Simmons asked, seeming to direct the question at both Skye and Logan.

"What, did you hire those guys patrolling the forests to shovel the walkway?" Fitz said, shaking his head.

"Those guys can't shovel a straight line," Logan replied with a little chuckle. "If they don't have to wade through it, they don't worry about it." He pulled the cork from the bottle of wine chilling on the coffee table. "Why don't you do me a favor and not worry about the how?"

"Come on, guys, I'll show you around," Skye said with a grin Logan's way as she took the scientists on a quick tour of the place — so that by the time they were back to the dining room, they seemed a little less frazzled and a lot more relaxed.

They were still giving Logan inquisitive looks, especially when the dinner ended up being the best they'd had since they left the Capitol after the revolution.

"You look like you need more wine," Logan said, though he didn't wait for an answer before he topped Simmons off.

"Are you trying to get me drunk?" Simmons teased.

"Nah, just tryin' to get that look off your face," Logan replied. "Like you're waitin' for somethin' to blow up."

"Well, that does seem to be the case more often than not," Simmons pointed out, though she leaned back and had some more wine all the same. "I do the patching up work when it does, remember?"

"You're off-duty," Logan told her. "And so am I, so it should be fine. No major blood loss expected."

"Just mysteriously good wine," Fitz agreed with a sideways smile.

"And all my favorite people in one place for my birthday," Skye said decisively. "That's the whole point right?" At that, the scientists seemed to straighten up a little and tried to pull back on the curious looks they were shooting Logan.

"It's alright; I know you get uptight about magic," Logan said before he tipped his glass back.

"This… is not… _no_ ," Fitz said, shaking his head at Logan and pointing an accusing finger his way.

"Why not?" Logan asked. "Every theory you've had, I've explained. So..."

"Because it's just rubbish," Fitz said, waving his hand. "There's no empirical data supporting the existence of… _rubbish_."

"You're soundin' a little numb, Fitz," Logan said. "You're not makin' any sense."

"Exactly!" Fitz pointed at Logan. "Magic doesn't make any sense! You've hit it on the nose!"

"He's a little passionate about science," Simmons giggled Logan's way. "Just a mite."

"Well, why don'tcha see if there's a way he can explain the dessert in the fridge? I can promise I didn't make it or put it there."

"I'll get it," Skye said with a huge grin as she got up from her seat, clearly enjoying the looks of disbelief when she came back with a chocolate cake — though she was also wearing a pretty disbelieving look herself that turned into a whole other kind of look Logan's way when she got seated.

"What do you think, guys? Tiny elves that live in his house?" she asked with trouble gleaming in her eyes.

"That have access to _chocolate_ in the middle of a war?" Simmons asked, shaking her head.

"There's _got_ to be a logical explanation," Fitz insisted as he refilled his glass angrily. "Not… leprechauns!"

"No," Logan agreed with a smirk. "You're the only leprechaun here." He pulled his lighter out of his pocket and handed it to Simmons. "You're in charge of candles from here on out."

"Not a leprechaun," Fitz grumbled as Simmons patted his arm consolingly and lit the candles for Skye.

"I know, Fitz," she said lightly as Skye barely controlled her laughter between glancing at Logan and at the snow falling outside with a huge grin on.

"Are you sure you're not … maybe… a quarter leprechaun?" Logan asked, knowing full well it would send him off on a tangent. "Twenty five percent magical. Grampa carried a sheleighleigh, didn't he?"

Fitz drew himself up with the most exasperated, insulted look Logan had ever seen on his face as he launched into a diatribe not only about the nonexistence of magic but also his own heritage — " _Not_ bloody Irish, thank you" — and how very, very wrong Logan was.

Logan settled in, somehow managing not to smile as he nodded his head and listened, occasionally defending the Irish, and reveling at the expression on Fitz' face when he said that he _was_ half Irish. The whole time, Logan was sure to keep a drink in hand for himself and for Fitz. "So what did the Scottish call 'em then?"

"Knockers," Fitz said, waving his hand. "And they don't even exist, and that's _so not the point_ …"

The snow had gotten to the point that Logan knew there was no way to even open the door, so he finally set his glass down and started to stretch. "Well. It's gettin' late, and it looks like the deer aren't showin' up like they usually do tonight. So... Keep warm. Pick a room — any one you want upstairs and to the left. I'm on the right."

"What? You mean — aren't we going b- oh." Simmons stopped herself mid-sentence as she got a look at the snow piled up outside the door.

"I'll keep the fire goin' tonight," Logan promised. "Maybe it'll blow off by mornin'."

"That much snow?" Simmons asked weakly, which had Skye giggling.

"If the wind gets to work, sure," Logan said with a nod as Skye started pulling at his hand.

"Then… we're snowed in," Fitz said, some of the heat coming out of his tone as he seemed to realize what had happened. "This… does this happen often?"

"All the time," Logan told him. "It's winter, after all. Haven't you ever been snowed in before?"

"Ah, no," Fitz said.

"Well, maybe," Simmons said. "But we were in the labs, with backup generators… if it happened, we wouldn't have noticed."

"Lights're still workin'," Logan pointed out. "And the fire keeps it warmer than anything else. Don't worry. You'll be fine."

"Sleep tight!" Skye called out to them as she tugged on Logan's hand again, still grinning as he finally let her lead him off — and left the two scientists with no wifi, no way out, and a very good buzz.

* * *

 _December 21_

 _Logan's Cabin_

* * *

Skye was smiling to herself as Logan curled up behind her in his bed. He'd just gotten up to stoke the fire — again — and every time he came back in, he was careful to tease her before he wrapped his arm around her middle and pulled her in to him. "Take it easy," he rumbled low before he kissed her behind the ear. "No fight club tonight."

She had to laugh at that, but the smile fell from her face when her hand covered his, resting over the very ugly black and green wedding band he wore.

Whether the oath he took was forced or not; whether he had ever loved Viper or not — it didn't matter. Not when the fact remained that no matter how hard Skye tried to ignore it or work around it, there was no way to simply erase or forget the fact that Logan was married. And she didn't like the fact that unless they found a legitimate way to deal with it, he'd _never_ be free of Viper.

"Sweetheart, you're doin' it again," Logan muttered into her hair before he kissed her at the nape of her neck. Skye quickly glanced down to realize that she had been very gently running her thumb over the ring.

"Just … it interrupts my frame of mind when I'm holding your hand, that's all," she admitted before she turned to face him. "You gotta get that thing off."

He nodded and pulled her a little closer. "We can ask Fitz to take a look when they come out for air."

"If we're out for air too, you mean."

"That's what I said," he replied with a little frown, but when she started to argue, he pressed in to kiss her — and again, the subject was dropped.

They didn't need to discuss the fact that something had to be done. Everyone was in agreement. But he'd made it clear — Viper had to _agree_ to a divorce or simply die, because otherwise _he_ couldn't acknowledge the dissolution of the honor marriage. It couldn't be as simple as erasing its existence — which Skye had offered to do, and Logan had shut her down, though he did explain that it was a matter of honor. Like it or not, Logan was, for the time being, Viper's legal husband. Which made Skye ….

"Dirty mistress," Simmons accused quietly over coffee the next morning when Skye came in the kitchen and Logan was stoking the fire. "Good morning. The electricity is back, so enjoy the coffee now before you get back to your mistressing."

"Shut up," Skye said as she poured herself a mug and then turned to look Simmons' way. "But … I do need to talk to you about that. Kind of."

"What do I have to do with that?"

"Well … not the mistress part. The ring. Gotta get that thing off of him."

"Ah." Simmons' expression fell for a moment as she looked back down at her coffee. She glanced toward Fitz, whose hair was ruffled as he leaned heavily against her, still not awake, and she let out a sigh. "We… need to look at it closer before we try anything," she said without looking up. "There's every possibility it's hollow."

"Why would it be hollow?" Skye asked with a frown. "That's just … stupid."

"It's _Viper_ ," Simmons said, tracing the edge of her mug with one finger. "And considering the devices she had inside you, Logan…" She glanced up at him as he leaned in the doorway. "Well, there's no reason to say this isn't also a possible method of poisoning you."

"Which would make sense to her for how the damn thing is stuck on," Logan agreed.

"I'm sure we could get it off," Simmons said. "But it could be a major undertaking — not simply cutting it for an extraction and skin graft. I wish it was," she said, wincing in sympathy.

"I'm sure you two'll figure somethin' out," he said, unconcerned.

"Oh of course," Fitz mumbled without even opening his eyes. "Jemma's brilliant."

"Talk shop later," Logan said as he looked past the two of them and to the window. "We're not goin' anywhere until the sounds of little elves reaches your ears as they clear out the walk. Besides, you can't test your theories right now anyhow."

"And we'd need to build some of the equipment ourselves anyway," Simmons said. "We don't quite have the same access we would in the Capitol."

"And we need to meet these elves," Fitz said sleepily. "So I can prove they're just people."

Logan was chuckling over his coffee. "I may be stretching it by callin' 'em elves. There's only one Elf." He tipped his head Skye's way. "And I'll bet he was snowed in too."

"I'm sure he loved it," Skye chuckled, tipping her head significantly at Fitz and Simmons as it was clear neither one of them had any plans to move from the cozy, half-snuggled position they were in. "Good for everyone to get snowed in every once in a while."

Fitz gave her a sideways grin for that one. Skye was sure that he had his arm around Simmons, though the way they were sitting, she couldn't quite see it.

It wasn't too long after that when the sound of scraping did in fact start up quietly and got progressively louder to the front door. "Local snow patrol," Logan said quietly. "They'll be in any time now."

"Knockers?" Fitz teased.

"Tiny army," Logan corrected. "They'll be expectin' food, so just sit back and let 'em clean the place out."

Fitz looked confused for a moment, though that quickly turned to absolute surprise when half a dozen girls — all under the age of ten — came bursting into the house, all giggles and excitement and a mad rush to tackle Logan for a quick 'hello' before they picked the kitchen clean.

"We'll come back if there's smoke!" one of them called out before they all rushed from the kitchen again, giggling madly with whatever they'd snatched up for breakfast.

Logan set his mug down and looked up at Fitz and Simmons a few moments after the door slammed shut. "Path is open."

Fitz picked his head up off of Simmons' shoulder at last and frowned at the door. "Ah. So it is."

"Not in a rush to leave?" Logan asked him, leaning back in his chair.

"It's still early," Fitz said, and this time when he readjusted the way he was sitting, Skye could see his hand at Simmon's waist.

Logan smirked and leaned into Skye to whisper very quietly with his nose in her hair. "I just won't tell him it's noon then."

"Don't ruin it — it's perfect," Skye said, giggling quietly, though it turned into an outright cackle when Simmons caught her gaze, smiled, and relaxed back into Fitz.

* * *

By the time they did get back to the bunkhouses, it was dark outside, and May met them with a crooked smirk when she saw that not only was Skye in an excellent mood but Fitzsimmons were actually _holding hands_.

"You can borrow it any time,too," Logan muttered to her as he passed her.

"I don't need it," May said with a little chuckle.

"I think you do," he argued.

"Maybe when the war's over," May allowed, though he didn't miss that she handed Skye a ten dollar bill.

"Can't believe you took that bet," Logan said to Skye. "Not fair takin' advantage when you know what the weather's bringin'."

"It was my birthday," Skye defended. "Free birthday money."

"Get what you wanted?"

"Sure did," she said with a little smile, taking him by the arm. "And next year, we'll have the ring off too."

"I'd rather it was quicker than that," he admitted.

"Well I figured I'd give us a wide margin to work with so you can't accuse me of catching Kurt's wild optimism," she teased.

"Fatal optimism," he corrected.

"That." She tapped him in the center of the chest. "All I'm saying is my next year's birthday wish is to get Simmons to stop calling me a dirty mistress."

"All we gotta do for that is deal with Ophelia."

"See? Fatal optimism," she teased.

"She's gonna be a pain."

Skye waved her hand. "She's always been a pain," she pointed out as the door nearest them burst open and Kate all but tackled them both into a hug.

"Oh look — you're not dead!" Kate laughed.

"Of course not," Logan replied with a frown.

"Didn't freeze to death in the blizzard… got back without finding any trouble…" she teased.

"It was just snow, not a blizzard, and we probably stayed warmer and ate better than you guys did," Logan laughed.

"Oh, lies. I had my beautiful Elf, and Cassie's been hanging out with Ororo making some amazing apple desserts that you _missed out on_."

"Sounds _almost_ as good as chocolate cake," Skye said with a grin.

Kate spun to face Skye with an open look of surprise. " _No_."

"Oh yeah. It was delicious," Skye said, clearly laughing as Kate looked more and more surprised and betrayed.

"Is that … somethin' you'd _want_?" Logan asked, his head tipped to the side.

"Um, have you _met_ me?" Kate asked, spinning to face Logan. "Coffee and chocolate are basically the staples of my _life_."

"There was coffee in the cake, yeah," he said with a nod.

"Now you're just being mean."

"Just full disclosure."

Kate shook her head at Logan and gently hit him in the arm. "You are just being mean that's what you are," she accused him.

"You want one for your birthday too?"

"Can you even _get_ a second one?" Kate asked, a little wide-eyed.

"Sure," he said with a nod. "Don't see why not."

"Ummm, because there's a war on?" Kate shook her head at him. "Not that I'm saying no, I'm just — yes. Please!"

"Any other requests?" he teased.

"Yeah, you don't think you could just obliterate Hydra so I could get married in peace, do you?" she teased right back.

"It's on my to-do list," he replied. "Right after 'cake and cabin for the syrupy sweet couple'"

"We already have our own cabin," Kate pointed out.

"Fine," he said with a shrug. "Just the cake then, princess. Your loss."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Come on. Kurt was hoping you two could get some swordwork in. _Before_ Christmas and New Years."

"Yeah, yeah, got it. Go beat up my buddy. On it." He gave Skye a quick kiss and tossed a snowball Kate's way before he slipped into the building a few paces ahead of her.

Kurt was grinning as he heard the thunk of Kate's snowball against the closed door. "Starting snowball fights with a Hawkeye. Really," he teased.

"She needs to keep on her toes," Logan defended.

"She'll just pull in the other one, and I won't help you," Kurt promised, still laughing.

"That's fine," he replied. "I'll just whitewash her before coffee."

Kurt chuckled and shook his head at that. "You're going to get yourself in trouble," he warned, with a spark of trouble in his own gaze.

"You love it. She loves it. Why mess with somethin' like that?"

"True enough," Kurt said with a shrug before he tossed a sword to Logan. "So ... shall we?" he asked, taking up a fencing position.

Logan turned the sword over in his hand for a moment, looking it over before he simply walked over to the weapons rack and put the foil back. "Yeah, but not with that." He picked up a katana instead and took his own position. "This is why he didn't like playing with me."

"The vastly different styles?" Kurt asked with one eyebrow raised.

"Well, yes and no," Logan replied. "The blocks that you use with a katana — if you're being more traditional and not acting like Wilson — you can't really break them."

"That would be good; I think Kate would prefer I keep from getting stabbed again," Kurt said with a smirk.

"Well, come at me with that; then I'll show you how to change the grip and we can switch to wood," Logan said. "Less bloodshed that way."

"Which I'm sure both of our ladies will appreciate," Kurt said with a grin before he did just that, twirling his swords with a little flourish before he made his attack.

Logan deflected him quickly, though Kurt had an advantage with two blades. The two of them went back and forth for a few minutes before Logan finally had an opening to strike back — and when he did, he knocked one of Kurt's blades loose.

From there it was a pure clash of technique — the quick moves of fencing against the sheer power that Logan was driving through his strikes, redirecting rather than outright blocking most of the time as Kurt quickly started to see how Strucker had managed to land some of the hits that he did.

Finally, when Kurt called it, he took a moment to get his breath before he grinned at his best friend. "I'm definitely glad I asked you for help," he said. "This… is going to help tremendously."

"There are two things I can see holdin' you back," Logan said. "One, he's a swordmaster. Not just one style. And two — we gotta build you up, bud."

"Yes, well, let's start with those wooden swords," Kurt suggested. "I could see you redirecting — we'll start there."

Logan took Kurt's sword and switched both of them out for a wooden katana each — and the two of them started very quietly as Logan showed him how to hold it properly. Within a few minutes, they were going through several exercises to master the motions with the very different blade. And after a while, they were again sparring — more or less.

"The whole point to this style is to use every bit of energy and not waste a single movement. Do it with as little effort and as much force as you can. Cut 'em quick; kill 'em fast."

"Oh look, Skye," said Kate's voice from the doorway as the cold wind came in temporarily behind the two girls. "A show."

Kurt grinned her way for a moment, pausing what he was doing to sweep one arm out and bow. "And do you like what you see, _frauline_?" he teased.

"Oh so very much," she laughed, finding a seat near the weapons rack as she waved them on. "Don't mind us."

"Don't worry, we won't," Logan replied easily as they continued on, keeping the same pace as they'd used before the girls showed up with Logan coaching Kurt through the fight — always to hit harder, to drive through not just the redirect of the sword, but his opponent too.

* * *

 _December 25_

 _District Seven_

* * *

Since winter had well and truly descended on District Seven, those that were staying in the bunkhouses really didn't have anywhere else to go for the holidays. Of course, the kids and victors had all chipped in to decorate a big tree the lumberjacks had brought in with paper decorations and an angel that Scott had carved in his down time. Kurt had brought out the Bible he'd gotten a couple Christmases ago to read the Nativity story on Christmas Eve, and there were plenty of warm wishes by the fire — but when they went to sleep, not a one of them was expecting anything in the morning.

So it was all the more curious when the youngest in the group — the Hudson clan — woke up anyone within earshot with delighted squeals and giggles when they discovered the candy laid out for them.

Even Scott had a candy cane when he came down to find the other kids delightedly celebrating Christmas morning, and he had to laugh when Josh was clearly giving out the _best_ hugs that morning.

"Where'd you get this stuff?" he asked Mac in an undertone after he'd been properly hugged by the youngest Hudson.

"What are you looking at me for?" Mac asked with a little frown before he wished him a Merry Christmas. "Just relax and enjoy it."

Scott paused, looking like he might argue it, before he shook his head and ended up, somehow, getting pulled onto a couch with every single one of the kids piled up together, giggling and delighted over their candy.

And that's how Clara found him too when she came to wish him a Merry Christmas — with half a candy cane in his mouth and listening _very_ intently to the twins as they retold him the story Kurt had told the night before ... or their version of it, anyway.

She had to chuckle at him before she sat on the arm of the couch and raised an eyebrow as the story continued. He grinned at her for an answer, letting the girls finish their tale before they got distracted toward the end by Ella and rushed off to pet her instead.

"They like that wolf more than me," he teased Clara.

"She's usually more relaxed," she teased right back.

He shook his head at her before he reached over to pull her the rest of the way onto the couch to join him. "Yeah, well, what's she got to worry about? Kids to spoil her while she's back home? Pretty nice life if you ask me."

"You need someone to rub your belly? Scratch behind your ears?"

"Not the kind of spoiling I was thinking," he chuckled before he pulled her into a kiss that still tasted like candy cane. "Merry Christmas, by the way."

"Same to you, handsome."

"You get anything from 'Santa'?" he teased as he popped the candy cane back in his mouth.

"Mostly the same as everyone else," she said with a shrug. "That and a new knife. I lost mine while I was travelling. In some creep's hand."

"Sounds more like you used it well and used it up," he said with one eyebrow raised.

"Well I wasn't complaining," she pointed out.

He nodded at that and then broke into a grin as he dug into his pocket to pull out a carved wooden pendant — an intricate wolf's head that looked a lot like Ella. "Merry Christmas," he told her, the grin only getting wider still as she looked from the carving to him.

"I didn't get you anything," she said quietly, eyes a little wider than he was used to seeing on her — but it only lasted about half a second before she nearly tackled him on the spot and kissed the sense out of him.

* * *

 _December 31_

 _District Seven_

* * *

Seeing as it was Kate's birthday, she and Kurt had decided to sleep in and stay in. They had the cabin to themselves and plenty of blankets — though Kate did ask Kurt to go to the mess hall and get some coffee.

Still, even trekking out in the cold, Kurt was in an excellent mood, a little pellet in his hand that he tossed up and caught several times over before he spotted Kitty and, grinning, quickly sidestepped out of her view, threw the smoke pellet, and appeared in front of her.

She gasped and jumped back before she shook her head and smacked Kurt in the shoulder. "Stop _doing_ that. It's not funny," she told him sternly.

"It is," he insisted, still grinning as he rubbed some of the smoke from his face and then did the same for her. "I haven't timed it right yet to put my face through before it clears, but I will," he added.

"You just like scaring the daylights out of people," she accused him.

"Yes I do," he said with a shameless grin before he wrapped her up in a hug and spun her toward Peter Quill's cabin — since he was sure that was where she was headed anyway.

He filled up a couple thermoses of coffee, sure that would be enough for the day they were planning to spend inside, and he was on his way back to the cabin when he spotted Logan and broke into a huge grin, digging in his pocket for another of the little pellets to throw at his feet as he jumped out in front of Logan.

" _Guten morgen!_ "

It happened so quickly that Kurt wasn't sure _what_ had happened as he picked himself out of the snowdrift and shook off the snow. From where he was sitting — several feet off the trail — it almost looked like Logan hadn't broken stride.

Kurt picked himself up out of the snow, dusted himself off, and caught up to his friend, still wiping smudges of blue smoke off his face. "Did I catch you off-guard?" he teased.

"Go play somewhere else," Logan grumbled.

"I was actually headed back to Kate — just wanted to say good morning," Kurt said, still with a smile.

But Logan grumbled lower and kept on his path, hands in his pockets and shoulders almost up to his ears.

Kurt frowned after his friend for a long moment before he let out a sigh and shook his head, turning back toward the cabin he shared with Kate, though he had to grin when he saw that someone — he had a feeling who it was — had left a coffee maker on the doorstep as well as a white box.

He grinned wider as he stepped through the door with the coffee and gifts in hand, and Kate beamed as she plucked one of the thermoses away and took a long drink. "Oh, you love me, don't you?" she said as she let out a little sigh.

"Obviously," he teased as he set the coffee maker down and had to laugh when he opened the box to find that it was a chocolate cake. There was no note, but it was easy enough to know who it was from.

Kate leaned over his shoulder and let out a sigh that was pure happiness on seeing the cake. "Oh, _he_ loves me too," she said, and he laughed and leaned over to kiss her.

"Well, it _is_ your birthday," he pointed out. "And you deserve a little spoiling."


	27. Dew on the Spider's Web

**Chapter 27: Dew on the Spider's Web**

* * *

 _January 7_

 _District Seven_

* * *

Natasha tipped her head Logan's way when he joined her in the cabin that they were using as Fury's office. "Ah, so you didn't get trapped in any more unforeseen weather?" she teased.

"Not yet," he said with a shrug. "Still early in the season."

"And there aren't anymore birthdays to celebrate," she said. "Don't think I missed that when you sent me and Clint." She leaned forward, the smirk widening. "I think he appreciated being Wade-less this year."

"I don't know what you're talkin' about," he said with a little shrug. "I asked you to help me out, and the weather moved in faster than it should have. It happens this close to the mountains."

"Mmhmm." She leaned back in her seat.

"I did notice the vodka needed restocking," he said, eyes forward as they waited for Fury.

"You made the mistake of telling me it was there," she pointed out.

"Like you wouldn't have found it anyhow," he replied.

"You did ask for a _thorough_ sweep," she laughed.

"I did, and I appreciate it," he agreed. "Damn thing's been sitting empty for a long time."

"You were right, by the way. Hydra and Capitol both had eyes in."

"It'd been that long since I was there," he said. "Made sense to me."

"Well, we got them, and Clint got a birthday without being chased around by his… rebirthday twin or whatever it is that Wade's calling it," Natasha said with a little smile. "A decent trade."

"Then I'm glad to hear you didn't suffer too much bein' stuck overnight."

"Well, there was vodka," she said simply.

"Alright, I have a job for the two of you if you're done gossiping," Fury said as he came toward the two of them with a pair of files. "And I'm hoping you're up to it, Logan."

The two of them took the files and started to go over them. Logan wasn't about to answer one way or another without seeing what the job was first.

"I need to move on this fast if we're going to snag Bucky without making it a major ordeal," Fury said. "And if it's all the same to you, a surgical strike would be far better than a full-on battle."

"Steve's been working on this day and night," Natasha said with the slightest of frowns.

"And he's too emotionally involved," Fury pointed out.

"Yes, but it's also gotten him close enough to the Skull to break his arm — which no one else has done," she pointed out. "I'm not arguing — I'm just saying."

"And I'm just saying he's too close to it," Fury said. "I want the kid back. And I think you two are my best shot at that."

"We are," Natasha said with a smirk, looking over the file. "We can leave in fifteen."

Logan was quiet until Fury prompted him. "You sure that's a good idea? Or do you have Fitz hidden in your closet with a controller for her?"

"If you think for one minute that I'm going to send you into the middle of Hydra with a collar and a single controller — that they could snatch and use against you — you're a lot crazier than I gave you credit for."

"I don't need a controller," Natasha assured him. "I have a new takedown I'd like to try out anyway — not that I'll need it."

Logan gave her a look. "Does that mean I'll be takin' guns this time?"

"Oh, please don't — I practiced it for close-range weapons," she said, making a face as she waved her hand. "And I'd like those claws working if we wind up face-to-face with the Skull or something."

"You'll both be taking sidearms along. I don't want you having to get too close until it's necessary," Fury told them before turning to Logan. "Drop by Fitzsimmons on your way out."

"You're serious," Logan said flatly.

"I didn't set you up with the damn things just so you couldn't use them," Fury pointed out. "Go. stretch your muscles."

Natasha got to her feet and smirked as she patted Logan on the shoulder. "Meet you there."

Logan didn't look too sure of himself or the situation as a whole as he dropped the file in front of Fury and headed toward the building that housed the labs.

The two scientists grinned at him outright as he came in — and while they were on opposite sides of the lab doing their thing, he did notice that Simmons took a path that would bump shoulders with Fitz to say hello to Logan.

"What do you need?" she asked brightly.

"I'm told I need to have you take the magnets off," he said evenly. "I'll be back for 'em later."

"Oh!" Simmons looked somewhere between surprised and pleased. "Fitz!" she called out, and Fitz came all but bounding over.

"Not a problem," Fitz promised him quickly, grabbing a device from his desk to unlock the bracelets. They came undone, and he grinned as he put them aside. "And there you have it," he said.

"Great," he said flatly. "See you in a while then." He turned on his heel, gaze on the ground as he headed off to catch up to Natasha before the two of them could ask him any questions.

She already had the jet prepped and ready to go, so when he arrived, he just had to strap in and she got them in the air. But Logan was quiet for the flight in, obviously concentrating on overthinking the whole fiasco.

Not that Natasha minded the quiet when she was going over her own plans in her mind. She had known exactly where she wanted to stash their jet when she saw the coordinates that Fury had given Logan. It was in a more secluded part of Two with heavy rock cover that would take weeks of combing to find their jet should they misplace it. But the bonus was that it would take the other guys just as long.

Right off the bat, Logan wasn't fond of the place. Tracking through the rocky terrain was miserable; the dirt and sand didn't hold prints for as dry as it was, and he despised whoever thought it was a good idea to stash anyone out there.

Natasha tactfully ignored his bad mood — though it was hard to tell if it was more over the claws or who they were going after. It seemed the closer they got to their destination, the angrier Logan was. When they found the spot, he fell back for her to lead the way to the hidden entrance that she promised was there — a throwback, she said, to her days in the Red Room.

"Sounds like a perfect run," he deadpanned.

"Well, they did send in you and me," she said just as evenly.

Their infiltration was silent. Totally undetected — and dangerous enough to make both of them on edge. The entrance that she'd chosen was high on the side of a red rock cliff, the ledge leading to it just wide enough to edge forward one foot at a time. To their benefit, it was already night, so when she cracked the door open, no light flooded into the cavernous room that had been carved into the mountain itself. They crept across a catwalk over the heads of a small army on their search for where Bucky was reported to be tucked away. But then ... there he was. Roaming freely with several of Hydra's known higher-ups.

They shared a look and both froze to watch what was going on below.

They recognized Alexander Pierce across from Bucky, and he seemed to be getting information from an earpiece, speaking in a low voice before he turned to the former tribute in front of him. "The codes and protocols you brought us from Stane were only useful to a point. They've changed the game on us, and we don't have time for snags. Those kids are giving us more issues than previously indicated, and I want into the Triskellion immediately."

Logan and Natasha shared a look as they both pulled out their sidearms and split up. Logan continued forward while Natasha fell back, both of them aiming at Pierce as they did so. Logan took a moment to try and account for how many soldiers there were … more than the last raid he had gone on before Hydra had him, that was for sure. He kept one hand on the gun as he picked up a flash bang cartridge and carefully held the loop for the pin in his teeth as he and Natasha shared one final look.

With a nod, they both fired on Pierce and Logan lobbed the grenade toward the pack of soldiers; she did the same to the ones nearest the big bay doors leading out of the carved-out cavern. They both had to duck and cover as those that weren't killed outright began to return fire where they thought the two of them had hidden — and already, Bucky was on the move, headed straight for the nearest ladder into the catwalks.

While the two of them were busy trying to return fire, Bucky made his way to Natasha and attacked her, while the soldiers below turned their attention toward Logan. Bucky's first move was to try to pin her arms, and he managed to grab her by one wrist before she twisted around, tucking herself through his legs to try to pull him off-balance. He didn't let go of her but allowed her to pull him, using the momentum of his fall to slide sideways, still taking her with him. He nearly had her on her back when she threw her head back, but he didn't stumble back despite the bloodied nose and face.

When she managed to get her free hand around, Widow's Bites charged, he had anticipated the move, snatching her wrist before she had the chance to use them. With both her hands pinned and with the larger weight keeping her down, Natasha simply decided to wriggle until she saw something she could bite. She sank her teeth into his leg, and he finally reacted, releasing her enough that she worked one hand free. She jammed her fist into his side and sent a jolt of electricity through them both, close as they were, that finally lifted the weight from her back, though he maddeningly still kept a grip on her right hand, pulling hard on her arm as she cried out.

While Natasha was fighting for her life with Bucky, Logan was frustrated at the sheer number of Hydra soldiers that had found exactly where he was. He was taking more hits to the armor than he liked — though none of them grouped closely enough to do him any serious harm. The bruises were going to be pretty spectacular, though.

He peeked toward Natasha and decided that she needed back up. He poked his head out and saw where the most troublesome group of soldiers was, then pulled the pin on his second grenade and waited a hair longer than normal before lobbing it right into their center. The gunfire died down immediately and freed him up to head her way.

Bucky didn't see Logan coming at him until it was a little too late to dodge him. Logan threw every ounce of weight and strength he had into the right hook that connected with Bucky's chest, knocking the wind out of him — and sending him back from Natasha a solid three steps.

Logan stepped over Natasha before she could stand and kept throwing punches, trying hard to keep from using his claws if he could. Even if holding back had his teeth on edge. He landed a few good ones before Bucky started to fight back, producing a knife with a little flourish before he led with his shoulder, pushing Logan slightly off-guard before he drove the knife down, aiming for Logan's left knee.

But as the knife was going down, Logan stepped into him and sent the same knee into his stomach — which let Bucky sink the knife into his side instead. He growled out in pain, and as Bucky crumpled in from the gut check, Logan started bringing his elbow down on the back of Bucky's head — hard.

He got in a solid four or five hits when Natasha yelled for him to get out of the way. Logan spun sideways before she finally got to use her Widow's Bite on their soon-to-be prisoner. Once he was on the ground and twitching properly, she reeled it in, approaching with the cuffs as Logan lost his temper and kicked him a few times for good measure.

When gunfire opened up again in their direction, Logan wasn't even in the mood to play fair. He pulled the last two grenades he had, yanked the pins, and carelessly lobbed them over the edge of the railing, not bothering to slow down as he hauled Bucky toward the most useable exit, with Natasha covering their escape.

She pulled ahead of him and hissed her directions in his ear as she pointed out a hallway she was sure led _out_ , and they ran down it. Natasha slid neatly down the ladder Bucky had used and then swung out to lay down cover fire for Logan's descent with Bucky. The minute his feet hit the ground, she jerked her head for him to follow her, and they were halfway down the smaller, narrow hallway when she very suddenly skidded to a stop at the sight of a tall, balding man coming out of a side room with a greasy sort of smile.

It was clear they recognized each other when the man's smile only widened upon seeing her.

"Nat?" Logan said quietly. "If you aren't gonna waste him, run him the hell over."

She stood stock still, eyes wide and nearly trembling as the odd man spoke to her in a honeyed, almost velvet tone.

" _Rosy na pautine_."

Logan had no idea what he'd said, but Natasha had taken in a sharp breath and simply let him slip away.

"Tasha," Logan prompted as shouts and gunfire started to draw closer.

Nothing.

"Natasha!"

Her head whipped around, and she stared at him in exactly the same way that she had when they'd first popped out of the launch tubes at the Games.

"Tasha, come on," Logan tried to reason with as he let Bucky slip to the ground. "We ain't got time for this, Widow." He saw her grin widen slightly before she launched herself at him — and just like that, he found himself like he had the first time they'd properly met.

She attacked him with more fury than she had before — or more training — a flurry of fists and feet as he blocked and blocked. Her hits were more substantial, but she wasn't the only one with two more years of training.

Biting down the roar that wanted to escape him, he forced himself to focus as Ogun had once pushed him to do. Again, they had locked gazes as she struck and he blocked. "Knock it off," he growled out as she sent a foot for his head. When she primed herself for a better stance, he rushed her and wrapped his arms around her — pinning her arms to her body. "I don't wanna hurt you, Tasha," he told her, his tone almost pleading. "Get it together. You're just proving me _right_."

She thrashed and kicked and even bit the hell out of his shoulder until her teeth met, but he simply kept trying to get her to _stop._ The breaking point was when she wiggled enough to free up the knife she kept at her side, and as he tried to mutter in her ear to relax, she jammed it up between two ribs like she'd meant to do the first time they'd clashed.

He let out a cry of pain in her ear and clamped down harder on that arm before she could twist the knife or draw it across. It took him a moment to place the burning sensation in his arms, and when his right hand brushed against his left, he realized what the trouble was. Or suspected it. The claws in his left arm were stuck — in the more stabby position. But he wasn't about to let her go. Not yet.

With her arms pinned too tightly to do any more damage, she let out a frustrated shout and continued to wriggle until, finally, all at once, she simply stopped. She froze in the middle of kicking out at him and gave a funny sort of tilted head jerk as she looked at him, and then her eyes widened. Her lips parted to form a small "o" shape, and she simply sagged, her legs folding underneath her.

He went down to the ground with her — his grip still firmly in place. "Nat, are you back yet?"

She took a breath, but it was shallow, and her eyes were still wide. "I didn't realize they could still do that to me."

"Darlin', I can put up with a lot of crap but I swear to God, you better be back to yourself, or I'm going to break your damn neck, woman."

She shook her head. "I'm back. I swear." She took another shaky breath and closed her eyes, her lips pressed tightly together. "I'm…" She paused, and her eyes opened again as she felt the hot, sticky wetness on her hand. "You're bleeding."

He let out a shaky breath and loosened his grip on her — rearranging himself so that he was holding her rather than holding her down. "That happens."

The expression on her face was far more open than he'd ever seen from her — one of sheer terror. "I tried to _kill_ you," she whispered at last.

"Yeah. That seems to happen sometimes too."

She let out a string of foreign words that sounded like they wouldn't translate well before she simply closed her eyes again, tightly, taking small and shallow breaths. "I thought they were _out_ of my head," she whispered, and she sounded very small.

As she shrunk in on herself, Logan locked his jaw and rearranged the both of them before he put his hand on the top of her head to pull her in closer. "Not gonna do this right now," he muttered quietly, trying not to wince as his wound pulled at him. "Let's get this idiot back home and get you to your birdbrain. I might even let medical poke at me for a minute. But right now? We're still in a warzone, and I know you don't wanna do this anymore'n I do." Even as he told her those things, though, he tightened his grip on her, hoping to bring her back to herself.

She rested her head against his shoulder for a few moments, taking deep and steadying breaths before she finally nodded. "We've got to get out of here," she agreed as she started to pull away.

"No shit." He let her go and got himself to his feet again — with a bit more effort involved this time. As he did, Bucky started to move in a panicked, jerky manner. He kicked out at Logan — and it was one step over the line for the little guy.

He closed the distance and grabbed Bucky by the hair before slamming his face into the concrete a couple times. Bucky started to mumble about not killing him, and Logan let it all out. "If I wanted to kill you, I'd tear that damned metal arm off and beat you to death with it!" He looked up at Natasha, who, in spite of her sudden moment with no control, had to smirk the slightest. "Anything you want to add, darlin'?"

"No, that was perfectly eloquent," she said with a smirk, though Logan gave her a look for that.

"It's gonnao be fun moving his sorry ass like this," Logan said, gesturing with the claws out. "I can't retract 'em." All the injuries he'd been ignoring came screaming back at him with the admission — the worst of which was the left side of his chest where Natasha's knife had likely nicked a lung if the building pressure on that side of his chest was any indicator. "Get on your feet and move," he ordered Bucky. "If I have to drag you, it's gonna be because I cut your legs off."

Bucky got up quickly and Logan grabbed an arm. "Try _anything_ ," Logan growled out — the fist with the extended claws drawn back.

"And what?" Bucky asked with a little sneer.

"Dunno for sure. I'm feelin' a little mean," Logan replied. "I'm not picky, I just want an excuse."

Natasha looked a little more like her old self as she smirked Logan's way. "I'm not used to playing good cop," she said as she took Bucky's arm and dragged him along, leading the way back to the jet.

When Bucky dragged his feet Logan, took a few quick steps and kicked him in the ass. "Move it," Logan growled. "Or I'll just carry your head back and leave the rest."

The three of them made it back to the jet with relatively few problems, especially with Logan grumbling half the way there and Bucky clearly motivated _not_ to lose his legs or anything else. Once they got to where Natasha had stashed the jet, she made sure Bucky was well and truly secure before she put them in the air, only glancing Logan's way once they were on their way back to Seven.

"The guy was Red Room. He wasn't Hydra," she told Logan quietly.

"Doesn't matter," Logan responded just as quietly, though his meter was slower than it should have been. "It's th' same problem."

She leaned back and let her breath out. "I'd ask you to keep an eye on me when we land, but I got you pretty good," she said with a smirk.

"Just be happy I didn't return th' favor," he said a little thickly.

"Yeah, the fact that you let me fall apart on you without stabbing me…" She let out a breath. "I don't usually do that."

"Who can say no to a pretty redhead?"

"Oh, no one. That's the whole point of me," she said dryly.

He shifted a little in his seat with a frown. "Shouldn't he be unconscious for this?"

"You can hit him if you want to," she said.

"I think I will," he replied. "Because that's the whole point of _me._ " With that, Logan very carefully got to his feet, trying not to twist on his way back to Bucky. Not a word was spoken, but the muted _crack_ made Natasha wince moments before Logan came back to sit with her again. "Hope Cap likes to look at boot treads."

"I think he'll take what he can, considering," Natasha said simply.

"Right," Logan agreed. "Why don't you wait until we're approaching before you call medical," he said when she reached for the comm that connected to Fury.

"In case you decide to leave more boot treads?"

"In case the bleeding stops and I don't need to go."

"There is a knife in your side. It's going to have to come out eventually."

He lifted his arm a little. "Hey. You wanna grab that for me?"

"No."

"Liar."

"You'll bleed out. Leave it in, you idiot." She didn't turn his way, but her tone had changed to a harder one. "Don't make me babysit you like I've had to do with Clint. I can only handle one of you."

"I don't think I could take the longing looks, so don't worry," he replied flatly, though he was already taking faster, shorter breaths. "It's just a lung. I got two of 'em."

She gave him a _look_ before she reached for the comm anyway and radioed medical to let them know they needed to meet the jet as soon as it landed. "And tell Fitzsimmons to come as well," she added pointedly.

"You owe me some vodka," Logan told her as he leaned back and closed his eyes. "For narcin' on me."

"I owe you some vodka for stabbing you," she corrected him. "I owe you _nothing_ for helping to save your life."

"Count it however you need to feel better," he argued.

"Because either way you get your vodka," she said with a smirk.

"That's the bottom line, yeah."

She smirked at him as she pushed the jet a little further into the red — so that they got to Seven a little ahead of when they were expected.

Medical met them there, and it was clear that they had expected to have to patch Logan back together — but Fitz let out a cry of pure dismay when he realized what was wrong with Logan's claws. "You have got to be kiddi- _no_!"

"Just try to avoid the claws. They are _razor sharp_ ," Simmons instructed Claire. "Fitz and I will take care of that."

Claire let out a frustrated noise. "Well, someone should have thought of that before they went in his arms," she muttered as she rushed alongside Logan while the medics pushed him to surgery.

"We _did …_ " Fitz began to grumble. "It's just that he hasn't _used_ them in so long .."

"It wasn't a jab at _you_ ," Claire told him but didn't say anything further as instead she was turning her attention to the medics to get Logan prepped.

Natasha watched the medics lead Logan off and then stayed close as Bucky was strapped down to a gurney of his own, very tightly. A medic did give Natasha a brief once-over as well, but seeing as Logan had been careful not to hurt her, she really only had a few bruises and scrapes from her fight with Bucky — and those would heal on their own.

"So," Fury said. "How did it go, seeing as that was a SHIELD-issue knife in his side."

Natasha let out a long and tired breath. "Ivan Petrovich," she said his way without looking toward him. "Red Room handler — hand-picks his … _students_."

"And you were one of them, of course," he supplied. "Do you know what the phrase was?"

"An old Russian poem," she said.

"I'm going to need that phrase. Write it down or the name of the poem if you think there might be more from the same text." He turned her way. "I'm not going to lie; we could only remove the things that _you_ were aware of — even buried deep. Maybe this knocked a few loose."

"Maybe," she said softly. "I suppose it was easier with Logan when you had Bobbi Morse giving you a detailed list instead of hypnotizing the subject to self-diagnose like you did with me," she said dryly.

"We're hoping that's true," Fury admitted. "Not that I'd admit that to him."

She nodded and then turned Fury's way with a deep frown. "Alright. Where is Charles, then?" she asked, seeming to steel herself.

"Where he always is," Fury replied. "Want me to bring in someone to help?"

"Yes," she said. "Clint." She glanced up at him at last and shook her head. "It's been a year and a half. I thought I was done with this."

"We should have known to account for Russian," Fury said. "Tell you what — once he's healed up, we'll let Logan drag him back and interrogate him. Pretty sure he'll have some interesting ideas on what 'coming along peacefully' looks like, if looking at Barnes is any indicator."

Natasha had to smirk the slightest bit at that. "I think you could wind up a few different people and get the same results. Tell Steve this guy helped work over his best friend, and he'll be here in an hour, trussed up and ready to go."

"True enough," Fury agreed with a smirk. "On that front ... did you want to be along when we break the news?"

"Would I like to? Yes. Should I be there … is an entirely different question." She raised an eyebrow Fury's way.

"Unless you're going to attack him, that's not really a concern. I think you should. You think you got a good reason not to — other than you're nervous?"

"I think this is the first time in over a year I haven't been sure of my mind. Would you be nervous, Nick?" she shot back with a bit of fire.

"Who flew the bird back?" he challenged.

"I did," she said. "Because my partner had been stabbed and would likely have crashed us."

"Don't you think that sounds an awful lot like someone in control of their own mind?"

She shot him a dry look. "Just humor me. Come with me when I talk to Steve and get me to Charles'. I ask so very little."

"Oh," Fury said, widening his eyes at her. "You were under the impression that I meant _alone_? Because nowhere did I say anything about 'alone'."

"Ah, there's the paranoia and _sense_ I'm used to," she said with a smirk, leading the way toward the bunkhouses.

When they got to Steve and Peggy's cabin — where the three friends were again digging through intel, Fury couldn't help but screw with him a little bit. "You can just throw all this away," he said with a wave. "None of it is relevant anymore."

Steve looked up with an open look of near panic, though Sam's cooler head prevailed as he said, "You have something?"

Fury turned to Natasha and watched her until she took a step forward. "Bucky is in the medical bay," she told the group.

"How?" Steve asked as he got to his feet. "We've been looking for weeks—"

"Logan and I had a lead, and we took it," Natasha said simply. "He's down in medical too, by the way — not from Bucky," she assured him before Steve could get too upset. "It was a different fight. But we did have to fight him, and he does have a slight head injury."

"As long as it's not permanent, I don't really care," Steve said, the smile starting to tug at his expression as he shouldered past his friends on his way out. "Thanks, Natasha. For what it's worth!"

"We still haven't gotten Hydra out of his mind," Natasha called after him. "Be aware!" But Steve didn't break stride in the slightest, and she had to shake her head at him. "Alright then."

"He'll remain restrained until Xavier can give him a solid once-over," Fury promised her. "But while we're talking about loading up Xavier's workload — how did Logan do without the controls?" The two of them were already headed to the bunkhouse that housed Charles' office — and a library that they'd cobbed together.

"He was fine," Natasha promised. "More than fine. His claws locked up on his left hand and he _still_ didn't stab me, even after I nicked one of his lungs. I don't know what else he thinks he needs to do to prove he has control."

"You know he's going to be impossible to live with now, right?" Fury said dryly. "Boy's gonna have it in his head that he was right."

"I know," Natasha said, letting out a sigh. "Which makes it that much more important to find Petrovich."

"We'll just have to get someone high enough up in Hydra to spill. But for now, let's go see Charles and see if he can ease your mind. Clint is on the way."

"I don't need him to ease my mind, just clear it," she said with a smirk as she followed along.

"Same thing," he said with a little wave. "Maybe the two of you can figure out what your partner's problem is."

"Not enough common sense," Natasha said. "That one's easy enough." She tipped her head Fury's way for a moment and paused when they got to Charles' cabin. "Thank you," she said softly.

"Just get your head on straight," Fury said. "We're not giving up on you any time soon."

"I don't expect you to," she told him with a little laugh. "I just think this would have been easier in the Raft instead of out here in a snow-logged cabin."

"Since when do things happen for us when it's most convenient?"

"Oh, never," she laughed before she pushed the door open to find that, as Fury had said, Clint was already there — a little red-faced from running there and looking overly concerned.

"Something happen, Nat?" he asked her.

She glanced to Fury before she sighed and closed the door behind her with the back of her heel, but when she answered, it was to look toward Charles. "Ivan Petrovich," she said, and Clint's eyes narrowed just at the name. "He's been working with Hydra and is likely behind most of what you'll find when you start working with Barnes." She paused, sat down in the seat across from Charles, and added, "And he was my handler in the Red Room."

"You find him?" Clint asked, almost holding his breath.

"Yes," she said heavily. "And it seems he had a phrase that even I didn't know about." She glanced toward Charles. "It's in Russian. I can write it down for you as well as the poem it came from."

Charles looked concerned but nodded at her all the same. "Yes, please," he said. "We'll get started right away."

* * *

 _January 7_

 _Fitzsimmons Cabin_

* * *

Skye had _meant_ to stop by to tease her two favorite scientists, and she bounded through the door with a huge smile on and every intention to do just that… until she saw that Simmons was nervously hovering beside a clearly very frustrated Fitz, who was just...muttering to himself.

"But you're missing the whole _point,_ Jemma — it _never_ should have happened," Fitz was saying before he went back to tapping his pencil against the pad of paper. "And I can't remember all the details on how the damn things went together."

"And we destroyed everything, I know," she said soothingly. "But I'm telling you that it's an issue on _my_ end. It was _his muscles_ , not your design." She had one hand on his shoulder and was leaning close. "He just hasn't used those muscles in a long time and there was some damage that hadn't healed all the way from Viper starving him, that's all."

"And for as often as he's out of it, it shouldn't have been an issue," he said. "I thought we had this fixed before we did it. What's it going to be like if we have to go tack it back together every now and again?"

"Fitz," Simmons said consolingly. "We've fixed the issue. I looked over his X-rays, scans… it was really just a silly little, _simple_ little thing."

"All the more reason it's bothering me so," he shot back.

"Fitz, you couldn't possibly have accounted for…" Simmons spluttered for a moment before she seemed to give up and press a quick kiss to his lips to stop him cold. "Your designs were perfect. Stop _fussing_." "

"He's okay," Skye interjected. "He's high as a kite, but he puts the blame on Hydra — not you guys."

Both of them turned her way, a bit surprised to see her there, before Simmons swept her arm out Skye's way. "See? He knows where the blame should go, and he doesn't understand all the inner workings of it!"

"If you don't believe me, you should go see him," Skye said. "Really. He might call you by your full name … but I think that's the worst of it."

"That is absolutely not the problem," Fitz muttered under his breath. "And Hydra doesn't know a thing about _my_ designs!"

"No, but it was their fault he lost so much muscle," Skye replied. "And why he didn't … why he couldn't use them for so long."

Fitz glanced up at Simmons for a moment before he let out a grumbling sigh and turned back to his rough notes. "Shouldn't have mattered."

"We never accounted for the possibility of him losing so much mass in a short time," Simmons said before she took the notebook out from under him. "Your design is flawless. But look, he hadn't regained all of his strength — and the muscles were under a lot of stress by the way he described what happened. There were extenuating circumstances, Fitz."

When Fitz still looked grumpy, though, Skye took the few steps between the door and the desk at a run at about the same time Simmons had the same idea, and within moments, both of the women had Fitz in a warm hug — and weren't about to let go until he stopped grumbling and trying to fix what was already fixed.

* * *

 _January 9_

 _District Seven_

* * *

Natasha understood entirely the need to be separated, especially after what she'd done to Logan. She didn't _like_ it, and after three days, she was starting to wish she wasn't so _understanding._ She'd had some pretty lovely fantasies about the different ways she could get out if she got _really_ creative, but she also knew she didn't want to be turned against anyone.

If it had been anyone else but Logan... If it had been Clint or one of the smaller kids… Logan could keep her contained, but some of the others would be dead by now. And she didn't want to take that risk, crazy as isolation made her.

"Romanoff, how are you feeling today?" Fury asked as he strode into the room. She was sure something was up — he was in combat fatigues, and his trademark leather trench coat was missing entirely. She could see the outline of the body armor under his shirt, and there was a hole in his sleeve that looked exactly like a bullet hole.

"Restless," she admitted. "Pushups are only entertaining for so long."

"Well, I hope you didn't wear yourself out with them," he told her. "We have a little work to do. I have a present for you."

Her lips curved into a smirk. "You shouldn't have."

"I shouldn't have _had_ to. But I did," he countered before he showed her the cuffs in his hand. "Temporary situation. Hopefully this will be quick."

She wasn't surprised in the least, though she had to admit she was a little annoyed as she held out her hands for him. "Hopefully," she agreed.

He gave her a look and very nearly apologized when he shifted her arms to behind her back. "I found your handler. We're going to take him apart. Find out what triggers he has in place on both you and Barnes — and then we're going to end it." He took her by the arm. "Unfortunately, that means we gotta keep you close. Not too many people speak Russian, but we're going to fix that too."

"I'll be happy to help translate for Barnes once I'm cleared."

"And although I am glad to hear it, the fact remains that there are an unknown quantity of operatives running around with Russian triggers. We need more operatives of our own that can understand the language," Fury explained. "But don't worry. I'm sure you'll get along well with your two students."

She raised an eyebrow Fury's way and looked even more surprised when they arrived at the room where Ivan was held and Clint was there waiting as well, eyeing Ivan with an expression that she wasn't used to seeing on his face.

"You're using Clint as your translator," Natasha said in a tone that wasn't quite a question but more disbelief.

"Not exactly," Fury admitted. "He's got a pretty solid handle on catching lies. Not quite as good as your other partner, but he is currently indisposed."

"Plus I really wanted a crack at this guy," Clint said, tipping his head toward Ivan as Fury got Natasha secured to a chair. "Tried to get him before in Two, and that didn't pan out, so now …" He shrugged up both shoulders. "Ta da."

"And just in time for the start of Mardi Gras," Fury said with a smirk. "So let's have a little party. Clint, you want to start it up?"

Clint's whole expression shone with honest glee, though whether that was from the director making a joke or the chance to get even with some of Natasha's old demons, it wasn't entirely clear as he simply took hold of Ivan's arm, studied the joints there, and nodded. "Alright, yeah. Brittle, old. Not very flexible. I know some yoga poses." As he spoke, he was already turning Ivan's arm at the elbow, slowly and methodically, but not to the point of hurting him yet as he looked toward Fury. "You wanna play good cop, or am I just having a ball?"

"I think we can play it by ear. Warm up a little bit, and I'll hop in if you need a breather." Fury pulled a chair over to sit behind Natasha and leaned back — though no one in the room thought for a moment that he wasn't prepared to throw down in a flash.

After Clint had gotten a little frustration out of his system, Fury called him off and turned to Ivan with his trademark scowl in place. "You recognize this girl?"

The same honeyed smile that he'd been wearing when Natasha and Logan ran into him returned, and he whispered out something in Russian that had her glaring.

"Care to share with the class?" Fury asked.

"'My star pupil,' he said," Natasha explained, still glaring.

"Well that's rude," Fury said, shaking his head. "Maybe I need to set some ground rules. Answer my questions in plain English or Barton here is going to take it personally. Until he's tired. Then I'm gonna take it all kinds of shades of disrespectful, since clearly you're too damn stupid to be reasonable."

For a moment, Ivan sneered. "It's no fault of mine you are limited to just this language."

"I got a guy that speaks Japanese that makes me look downright sunshiny right now. Would you rather try to tell him that he's limited? Because I'm sure he won't take it personally at all."

But Ivan just laughed. "You mean the one Whitehall worked on? Oh yes. His mind _was_ broadened, but is no longer. A pity, really."

"How's your right feeling, Barton?"

"I could do this all day, sir," Clint said with a wicked grin.

"Well do our friend proud."

At that, Clint's grin just seemed to widen as he readjusted his grip on Ivan — and twisted him up as best he knew how. Natasha and Fury's expressions didn't change, but Clint sure looked like he was working off a little rage, at any rate, and Ivan was panting through gritted teeth by the time Clint paused and looked to Fury.

Fury took a few steps closer and crouched down so that he wouldn't need to speak loudly at all. "Now. I don't suppose that this is going to be easy, and you're probably not real willing to just tell me what the triggers are," Fury said with some resignation. "But I'm still going to offer. We can do this the easy way, the hard way, or … I can _make_ you. But no one is leaving this room until I get what I want."

"Then we will be here for some time," Ivan rasped out. "You paltry little creatures who rely on brute strength alone."

"And 'easy' just went out the window," Fury said dryly. "Barton, let's help him expand his horizons a bit. What do you remember about what Logan told you about pressure points?"

Clint actually laughed. "Sir, I could read 'em to you backwards and forwards. Knew half of 'em before I joined this chicken outfit just to do cheap shots. Like this one." He paused and jammed his thumb at a point on Ivan's shoulder as the man cried out.

"Yeah, those are the basics," Fury said as he made his way over to him. "But he told me about one that Ogun taught him …" He looked down at Ivan. "And I know for a fact _he_ didn't go scurrying off to Hydra." Fury looked up at Clint. "May I?"

When Clint nodded, Fury took a hold of Ivan's head and carefully arranged his hands so that he hit several pressure points at once and started to press on all of them. "Apparently this is one Ogun figured out on his own," Fury explained as Ivan got more and more miserable, squirming under him. "One or two is excruciating … add in the others, and you've got nerves overreacting and misinterpreting signals." He kept pressing until Ivan was simply screaming bloody murder.

When Fury finally let up and Ivan gasped for breath, Clint was looking at the director with a crooked sort of grin. "Remind me to sign up for lessons, sir," he said, seemingly unbothered by Ivan's presence.

"Something tells me Logan's not going to be teaching that one," Fury said.

Ivan, meanwhile, was still gasping, but he managed to spit something out through his teeth that seemed to set Natasha over the edge, trashing to get out of her chair. But that only ticked Clint off and had him jamming his thumb into more points at Ivan's ribs before he simply backhanded the guy hard out of sheer frustration with the whole thing.

Fury looked to Clint before he had to ask. "Any ideas on that one?"

"Ah… something about a spider web," Clint said with a little frown.

Fury looked entirely unamused. "Makes sense," he said, shaking his head. "How many triggers are there?" Fury asked the twisted form of the handler. He had to tip his head sideways to look the man in the face. "I'm going to guess that was 'defend.' And there was one for 'attack' — you used that before. What else?"

Ivan, despite his twisted position, gave Fury a silky smile and uttered one more phrase that sent Natasha into a frenzy. She was straining against the restraints, purposefully digging them into her skin, her eyes wide.

"Twist that bastard up tighter," Fury shouted as he reached into a pocket in his fatigues and pulled out a needle that he rushed over and injected her with. She fought like a wildcat for about thirty seconds before the drug hit her system — and she quickly went limp. "You put in a self-destruct," Fury growled out glaring at Ivan. "Looks like 'hard' just went out the window too."

"You can't force me," Ivan taunted. "No one can."

Fury raised his eyebrow as if it was a challenge before he produced a bottle that contained some sort of drug. "Oh, yes, I can." Fury took his time measuring up the dose in full view of the man before he asked Clint for one of Ivan's arms, and the livid archer twisted Ivan into position with much more gusto than before. "Talk fast on what you did and how you did it, or the next dose will take you from just spilling your guts into something much more painful." He paused as he set the needle to his vein. "And spilling your guts."

Ivan's eyes went wide when the injection hit, and he began to mumble very fast in Russian, before Clint reminded him of his manners and he switched to English. Not all of it made sense, and even the parts that did were slightly jumbled, but the gist of it was clear.

They knew the phrases, and when Fury asked how to disable them, it got interesting very quickly. Because the words had been so ingrained into the subjects' heads, the usual repetitive method of slipping in the phrases or words with others was unuseable. They needed to be hypnotized — and then the commands given had to be very precisely, lest they be triggered again.

As Ivan was starting to come down from spilling everything, he turned his attention to Fury with a look that bordered on desperation. "I can show you. My services are yours — your fighters could be magnificent."

"They already are," Fury replied before he tipped his head to Clint. "Would you please take Miss Romanoff to medical for me? I'll be along shortly."

Clint frowned for a moment, but he was more concerned about Natasha than anything else. With exceeding care, he gently picked her up and carried her down to medical, leaving Fury to deal with the Red Room 'specialist' alone.

 _From Russian:_

 _Rosy na pautine. - The dew on the web._


	28. First Anniversary

**Chapter 28: First Anniversary**

* * *

 _January 13_

 _District Seven_

* * *

"I swear to God all these docs have a _thing_ about tying me down," Logan grumbled to Clint. "I blame Simmons."

"Well, someone should tell Fitz if that's her thing," Clint said dryly over the top of the Russian-English dictionary.

"Pretty sure he knows already," Logan replied distractedly. "Come on; lemme up."

"But then they'll tie _me_ down, and one of us has to turn the pages," Clint pointed out without even looking his way.

"We can have Celia do it — she'll do a lot if you sing to her," Logan told him.

Clint chuckled at that. "Yeah, I heard about that. Good song choice, by the way."

"She blushed for three days," Logan told him. "And I'm pretty sure that was Wade's pick."

"Well, whoever picked did well," Clint said. "But I'm not drunk enough to sing to her right now."

"One hand."

"Not just yet," Natasha called out, looking smug as she and Fury arrived at the medical wing. "First, we'll prove something while you're still tied down."

"I'm not really into that kind of thing, darlin'," he teased.

"You're not my type, _dyadenk'a_."

"Not you I'm worried about," Logan replied.

"We tracked down the trainer you and Romanoff ran into when you went after Barnes," Fury told him, brushing past the comment. "We had a long chat, and it doesn't look like he had a thing to do with your experience in Hydra."

"Good," Logan replied. "The less involved, the better."

"And just to be sure…" Natasha smirked at him before she rattled off a couple verses of Russian poetry and waited, though she couldn't help but smirk when Logan's response was to raise an eyebrow at her.

"Come on, Tasha. You know I don't do Russian," Logan said in a low tone.

Natasha stepped back, gesturing to him one handed. "No, nothing Russian in your head."

"And there won't be until you put the vodka back in the cabin."

"I've been indisposed," she said haughtily.

"Not like I could use it on painkillers without someone gettin' their panties twisted anyhow."

"No, but you can get out of this room," she said with a little smirk.

"Cleared it with Doctor Temple," Fury said. "Go celebrate with the rest of the kids."

"And Fitz?" Logan asked. "Has he relaxed at all yet?"

"After your girl _and_ his talked him down? Yeah," Fury nodded. He stepped forward, seemingly to let Logan loose, though before he did, he produced Fitz' device and took the bracelets for himself.

"What are you doing?" Logan asked with a frown.

"You don't need them anymore," Fury told him. "And I'm not waiting for you to pussyfoot around with Fitzsimmons every time you need to go somewhere."

"What makes you so sure? Just because Nat started flappin' with some nonsense made up crap, you're gonna just … what?"

Fury gave him a dry look. "You really think I'd leave something like this to chance? You're clear. Get with it."

"Get with what?" Logan asked. "Stabbing people?"

"Well, that's what we're celebrating today, isn't it?" Clint had to tease. "You stabbing the princess ... the whole revolution getting going…"

"Started that day tied down too," Logan muttered to himself. "Not sure I agree with your reasoning, bird brain."

"That's just too bad for you," Clint practically sang out as Fury undid the restraints on Logan and Clint snagged Natasha with an arm around her shoulders. "Because _I_ am going to take my best friend here, find the nearest party, and have a ball like it's Mardi Gras."

"You're crazy," Logan muttered, rubbing his wrists.

"Maybe so, but at least our minds are our own," Natasha pointed out with a small smile.

Logan barked out a totally unamused laugh at that. "If you say so, Red."

She rolled her eyes at him before she pulled on his arm. "And that," she said firmly, "just earned you the title of my second escort for the evening. At least until we find your level one agent."

"Pretty sure she traded up to two last month. Boxtops."

"She must be so proud," Natasha said with a smirk, clearly not about to let go of his arm as she led both him and Clint out to where the festivities were.

The few Capitolites that had stuck with the group this long were clearly in full swing, excited by the prospect of a _party_. It was a surprise to absolutely no one who knew the little group that Noh-Varr had managed to bring some speakers and music through all of the moves, and even before they reached the lodge where it looked like most of Tahiti had gathered, they could hear the music and laughter.

"You said I _have_ to go?" Logan asked, slowing down a little bit so Natasha had to actually pull.

"I'm sorry, did you want to go back to medical?" she asked sweetly.

"If they can drug me up, sure."

Clint chuckled at that. "C'mon, Logan. When the Black Widow is willingly more social than you, you have problems."

"That's common knowledge, Goldenrod."

"Not my call sign," Clint replied without missing a beat as he helped Natasha pull Logan toward the music.

"Better than 'Lesser Hawkeye'."

"I've been called so many things at this point, it doesn't even faze me," Clint said with a shrug. "You should hear Wade come up with a few."

"I've heard Wade come up with enough for me; don't need to figure out he's got more affectionate terms for you."

"Yeah, that's what I get for daring to wake up on the same day as him," Clint said with a careless shrug as they got to the lodge.

"Oh," Logan said, shaking his head. "Don't kid yourself. He liked you before. Said you were a _fine_ drinking partner."

Clint laughed. "Oh yeah. Only way to deal with the Careers is when you're drunk," he agreed.

"Does that mean you two are gonna try and get me snookered?" Logan asked.

"Well, if we happen to find a homeless bottle…" Clint trailed off and grinned.

"Then maybe I'll _pretend_ to be social for a minute."

"Atta boy," Clint laughed as they stepped into the ongoing party.

"I'll find the vodka," Natasha teased both of them, already melting into the crowd to actually do just that, which had Clint laughing some more at his partner.

"Not even through the door for five seconds and we get ditched. Typical," Logan said.

"Probably off to find more stimulating conversation," Clint chuckled.

"Good luck with that," Logan countered. "Looks like Noh's keeping the booze by his music."

"I think Chavez is working on fixing that problem," Clint said in a low laugh as he tipped his head to where America was arguing with the blue-skinned stylist.

"Yeah, that girl …" Logan drifted off. "I'm surprised they try to act like that all the time."

"Like what? Stupid kids?" Clint asked with a crooked grin.

"Yeah, they get along pretty well, but it's always this … fight."

"I really am not the person to ask," Clint pointed out. "You've seen me and my partner."

Logan pointed their way for a second. "Yeah, but they most definitely do not and will not ever have anything going on. Ever."

"You mean the married man and the one dating GoGo? Yeah, figured that one out on my own, thanks — not _that_ stupid," Clint laughed. The two of them had made their way over to where the arguing pair — and the booze — were, and he plucked a bottle out of America's hand as she was using it to point at Noh to underline her point on something or other. "Thanks, kiddo."

America temporarily abandoned whatever she was arguing with Noh about to turn Clint's way and smack him hard. " _Ay,_ take your five-finger discount somewhere that won't get your ten fingers broken," she said, snatching the bottle back.

"Noh, how'd you get such a mean mistress when you got the sunshine already? Ain't Jubes abusin' you enough?" Logan asked.

Noh blinked at Logan, clearly at a loss for a moment as to have to even respond. "What?"

"He's _so_ not my type," America said, waving her hand at Logan. "His _wife,_ on the other hand…" she added, her eyes glittering with laughter.

"Good luck with that," Logan replied. "She likes sweetness. Not … whatever you're passin' around."

"Then it's a good thing I already got one of my own," America said with a shrug as she popped open the bottle, took a drink, and held it out for him.

"Holy hell, you're like this sober?"

"I'm just this amazing," America said. "Want a drink or not?"

"Not if it means I gotta watch you berate blue boy here."

America rolled her eyes and waved Noh's way. "He seems to think the victors in particular should lay off the good stuff, for some reason."

Logan looked up at Noh and took the bottle nearest to the stylist. "Wanna fight me for it?"

"Not particularly, no," Noh said with a raised eyebrow.

"Then if you're not willing to fight me for it, how the hell are you gonna stop any of 'em?"

"Oh, the civilized way, by asking them to use moderation," Noh said airily.

"Not gonna happen," Logan replied before he abandoned Clint for America, snatched up another bottle, and headed off to find Quill.

As for Quill himself, the resident Star Lord had taken a couple bottles and Groot out toward the trees, and the two old friends had been drinking in relative silence for a good long while — since before the party even really got rolling.

As usual, Groot hadn't said a word, but the way he rested his hand on his chest where Gamora had shot him and the tired sort of expression on his face said it all as Quill drank beside him. And when Groot finally turned Quill's way for a moment, the younger victor just nodded.

"Yeah, I miss him too," Quill said.

Most of the celebrations inside the lodges — and around Marvel as a whole — were about the successes, like Nebula's death, breaking the long cycle of Games and death and tyranny, even if it had only been the start of a long road. It had also been a good day for Quill — getting out of the palace at _last_ — but there was still the fact that Groot and Quill were the only ones of their old group of friends to have survived.

Eventually, Groot left Quill to his thoughts, and Quill didn't have to ask the tall older victor where he was headed. Groot's old house was further down the way, and Quill had seen him visit the gardens often with a tired sort of look. But the kids in the district knew he liked to visit there as well, and even if Rocket wasn't around anymore, the kids still stopped by to play with Groot.

Quill, on the other hand, didn't have a garden. He had an unfinished bottle of whiskey and a whole lot of relief that it had been a year and he was officially alive again and _not_ a royal.

It took a while for Logan and America to catch up — and there was a reasonably long trail of victors following their path when the two of them flanked Quill. Logan held the fresh bottle out and America bumped his opposite shoulder with hers. "Pretty sure this is the first time Groot's place was the center of the party," Logan muttered.

"Yeah, well, there's a small flock of kids who apparently can't wait for spring," Quill said with an easy shrug as he tipped his head down the way. "Somehow, that guy promised them strawberries."

"The ones building snowmen?" Logan asked. "Yeah. They follow him around. Do all the dirty work for him and steal all the goodies."

"Well, he is getting old now," Quill said with a small smirk.

"He ain't that old."

"Looks it."

"Not as old as you're lookin' right now."

Quill drew himself up a little and rolled his eyes. " _I_ am a model of health," he said.

"Cover boy for 'Depressed and Barely Living'," Logan argued.

"Ah, no, that's you, sunshine," Quill shot back.

"Nope, I'm more set up for 'Whipping Boy'."

"I think you both alternate," America said, pointing between the two of them.

"Must be why subscriptions are up," Quill replied.

"Oh yeah, the eye candy's real nice," she said, totally deadpanning.

"We going in or just starin' at the snowmen?" Logan asked.

"That's a first — you _want_ to pull someone into a party?" Quill asked in mock surprise.

"I don't mind the parties. If there is plenty of drinking — and drop the music lower."

Quill peered at Logan closely. "Mmm. Better call the prof. That doesn't sound like you."

"I just don't like being told I _have_ to attend," Logan pointed out.

"Now, on the other hand, being told you _have_ to go to a wedding…" America teased. "That one he'll go along with. For the sake of the line."

"Well, that's a given," Logan agreed. "And you don't argue with an angry kitten of a stylist."

"Sure you do; that's half the fun," America laughed.

"You haven't made her cry," Logan said.

America stopped to face him and punched him in the shoulder. "And you have?"

"Not intentionally," Logan defended. "She was upset with something else. I just … apparently was of no help."

"Was this before or after you were her dirty dirty whore under Noh's nose?" America asked.

"During. And stop that," Logan said, shaking his head.

"Well that explains it then," America said airily. "Getting in the way of _the line_." She leaned forward, grinned, and shook her head. "Just can't stop yourself, can you? I hear you're messing around with a _new mistress_ now."

"Yeah? What's the word in the playroom?" Logan asked.

"Oh, just some baseless accusations of infidelity... " America said airly.

"Technically ... " Logan said before he drew in a deep breath. "...the marriage would have to be a little more … legitimate to worry about that." He didn't even look their way as he smirked. "Never slept with her."

America turned slowly to face him better, the dawning comprehension writing her glee all over the place. "Oh, you sly man," she teased, looking past him to Quill. "How come you couldn't pull that off, huh? That's a much better green woman arrangement!"

"Yeah, we're not — we're not discussing the royal bedroom habits when I'm a happy widower now," Quill said with a frown. "Unlike some people."

"I'm just saying it never happened. I didn't say who she _was_ sleeping with," Logan pointed out before he gave them both a meaningful look. "You're welcome."

" _Ay, no._ There's someone in this _universe_ who would actually sleep with _her_?" America looked totally gobsmacked.

"Doesn't have too many dating options," Logan muttered.

"Not with a face like his," Sam agreed, leaned against one of the trees as he made a horrible face.

"That last mission?" Logan asked.

"The one where Steve broke the Skull's arm? Yeah," Sam said with a nod. "The kid was scarred. I'd've broken someone's arm too if I had a shield and hadn't been dealing with the other one."

"You tried," Logan said with a shrug.

"Still trying to wipe the image from my brain, and I only saw the one kiss," Sam said as America shuddered the more she thought about it.

Logan looked over at America. "You should probably cover your ears. Too young for any of what we're alluding to."

"Yeah, don't get me mixed up with Kate. I _do_ know how to get past the giggling and hold hands stage," she said dryly.

He leaned closer to her to whisper it so only she and Quill could catch it. "Yeah, but not the sucking face with the Skull. And other things."

She pulled a horrible face. "You're sadistic."

Quill started to chuckle as Logan sat back. "What, you got a problem with your fellow victors?" Logan asked. "That's one of your peers, missie."

"Well so's Creed, but you don't see me telling you to get all comfortable with him."

"I already did that," Logan pointed out. "At least ... had to be on the same team for too long." He turned to Quill with a little frown. "Why the hell do _I_ have to hit all the worst ones?"

"Take it up with someone else," Quill said, holding up both hands. "I was cozying up to the blue bloods, not those guys."

"Yeah, they were a treat," Logan grumbled. "But somehow … Viper's got 'em beat. Did you hear what Fitzsimmons figured out?"

"That being snowed in is excellent for relationships?" America said.

"That too," he agreed before he held up his left hand. "I was referring to this stupid ring. Damn thing's hollow."

"Had one like that," Quill said, his interest piqued. "Fury put in a bug and a panic button."

"Well this wasn't from him, and it's burned on. I was gonna cut the damn thing off until Simmons just about had a heart attack on the spot. She thinks it's got something in it." Logan gave Quill a sideways glance. "But it's nice to know you were wearing _Fury's_ ring the whole time."

"Better'n Gamora's."

"No argument there."

"Still chucked it a year ago today," Quill said, glancing down at his own hand before he gave Logan an apologetic look. "Maybe next time for you, huh?"

"It'll be off before then. Just need the right lull for Simmons to knock me out."

"Should make your mistress feel better about cheating," America said with a smirk.

"Hey. I already asked for a divorce. She didn't take it well."

"You did?" Sam asked, turning his way. "When?"

Logan turned to address him, and the smirk seemed a little less … entertained. "You know when that guy was trying to kill victors? He tried twice. Once with Bobbi and me and again when it was just Viper in her lab. Didn't know I was there. He stabbed her before she knew he was in the room. Took off when he saw me. She wasn't doin' very good, told me to take her to a doctor. And I said I would — after she agreed to end it."

"But you're still married, and she's still alive," Sam pointed out, his head tipped to the one side and a frown pushing at his expression.

"Yeah," he said, nodding lightly. "Got interrupted in our negotiation."

Sam shook his head and let out a breath. "Well, if yours is anything like Quill's, expect the mistress to get violent," he said with an attempt at a smirk to lighten the mood.

"Not too shocking, seeing as I trained both of them …the mistresses, that is," Logan replied.

"Skye more than Kitty," Quill pointed out. "And, by the way, she's still thrilled about the new training. You let me know if you need a tall stand-in. Don't mind holding her," he teased.

"Any time you want your ass handed to you, come along."

"Well, seeing as I'm playing the role of bumbling bad guy, kinda goes with the part, don't you think?"

"We need helpers that will fight back too. Kitten's well past the dumb stand in," Logan said.

"Believe it or not, I can fight too," Quill said with a smirk. "Not just a pretty face."

Logan let out a little 'huh' and tipped his head as if the idea was completely novel.

"The support here is really outstanding," Quill grumbled, shaking his head as he took the top off the bottle and took a long drink. "Really appreciate it."

"Speaking of pretty faces, shouldn't you be with your former mistress?" America asked pointedly. "Leave her hanging too long and she'll get snatched up. She's kinda gorgeous."

"Yeah, I know," Quill said with a smirk. "She was with Jubilee last I saw, getting a computer program set up for a timed fireworks show tonight. Music, colors, the whole nine."

"That's our firecracker," Logan said with a nod. "So, should we head back or let 'em find us?"

"Dunno. I guess that depends on if you were serious about actually wanting to go to a party," Quill teased.

Logan pointed across the street. "I don't have to go anywhere at all. More booze too."

Quill shrugged up both shoulders. "Well alright. Should probably find Kitty anyway, actually. I promised her we'd go for a walk in the snow before the day was out."

"If I didn't think Kurt would murder you, I'd tell you to come back here."

"Like he has any room to talk," Quill scoffed. "He's been swapping spit with the other Hawk for how long and hasn't gotten one of Barton's arrows in him?"

"In that case," Logan said before he gave him a little smirk, "door's unlocked."

Quill broke into a little grin at that and nodded. "Well alright then. Sounds like I need to find a kitten."

"Come on, Chavez," Logan said. "Let's get a fire started for the lovebirds."

"Your house is gonna get a reputation," America teased, though she was already following Logan out.

"Does that mean you _don't_ want to borrow it?" Logan asked.

"No, it means your house is gonna get a reputation. Geez, not everything is double speak."

"I'm not too worried about the reputation the house is gonna get," he told her as he let her inside. "You know. Seeing as the owner is a cheating married whore and all."

"Well at least you understand," she said with a smirk as she dusted the snow off her shoes at the entrance. "You know Wade's already calling it 'The Love Shack.'"

"That somehow doesn't surprise me." He gestured to the room at large. "Might as well get the lay of the land if you're borrowin' it."

She smirked as she brushed past him. "Generous whore."

"You ever gonna let that go?"

"Nope." She grinned at him. "Not even sorry a little bit."

"Only because you're not on the books, innocent little flower."

"But for the grace of a Wolverine and his short fuse," she agreed with a smile.

Logan shook his head at her and knelt down by the fireplace. "Yeah. well. At least my temper was good for that."

"And good for a show too," America said. "Nothing wrong with a good pounding when someone deserves it." She paused, smirked, and added, "Or even if you're just feeling like it."

He looked at her over his shoulder. "Yeah? When was the last time I was good for a show?"

"Besides just now when you got Sam Wilson to make _that_ face?" she teased.

"Yeah. A real show."

"Well, I wasn't there for you letting Viper bleed for being a little witch, but that's a good show too," America said with a shrug.

He shook his head at her and sat back poking at the fire while she made herself comfortable. "Maybe you can see it the next time it happens."

"I'll help it stick better next time," she promised.

Within a few minutes, the fire was roaring properly, and Logan closed the door to the fireplace and got to his feet. "I guess we should head back then."

She nodded, then crossed the span to bump his shoulder with hers. "Hey, stop vying for Quill's spot on the 'Depressed and Barely Living' cover. You're much sexier on the 'Cheating Husbands' one."

He turned to look at her and started to chuckle. "What the hell did I do to deserve this?"

"I couldn't tell you," America said with a crooked grin. "Come on, let's clear out before the cover model and his lady get here."

"Ya, don't want to start any of those rumors up," he agreed, though he was sure to flip on the lights for the living room on the way out.


	29. Who Took the Shot?

**Chapter 29: Who Took the Shot?**

* * *

 _January 17_

 _Still in Seven_

* * *

It was still early when Logan was called in to see Fury. He was still not feeling quite himself, and he wasn't looking forward to whatever it was that Fury had planned. He was tense still since losing the magnets, and again, he was sure to practice extending and retracting his claws, though Fitz was pushing to see the progress and monitor closer after the reattachment.

So Logan wasn't exactly looking forward to what was sure to come after he left Fury's office.

But when he pushed the door to the office open, he was more than a little surprised to see David North sitting across from the director. "Is this a Weapon X thing?" Logan asked with a frown as he closed the door behind him.

"No," Fury said, gesturing for him to take a seat, even as Logan and North shook hands. "Weapon X is defunct. We broke up the team while you were recovering from Viper." But at that, Logan dropped his gaze and focused on his hands rather than meet either of their gazes.

" _We_ didn't break it up," North corrected. "Wraith and I quit. But I came back for a special event."

Logan looked from North to Fury as Fury started to explain. "This is a surgical strike. So far, it's just the three of us, but we need a fourth. Maverick requested _not_ to have Wilson on this one, so should I call in Wagner — or do you have someone else in mind?"

Logan drew in a breath and shook his head. "No, Kurt didn't like that kind of heat." He thought about it for a moment and found himself going back to one person that had insisted he could handle whatever Logan got up to. "Do they have to be experienced — or can this serve as an eye opener?"

"If you think they can handle it, and might be able to handle it in the future, then that's fine. But I do not want to take someone out just to watch them squirm."

"He's good under pressure, just not enough mission time to say for sure if he could do the job right."

Fury studied him for a good, long moment. "Who is it?" Logan gave him a smile and leaned forward to relay his pick, which had Fury frowning. "You sure about that?"

"Kid can think six steps ahead. It'd be good for him to see what kind of heat we take on the other side," Logan said. "But like I said, I'm not sure it's going to be his cup of tea."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Scott Summers stepped into Fury's office.

"Have a seat," Fury said, gesturing to the two empty chairs next to Logan. Scott paused for just a moment and took the one further from his old mentor, though that only got a little smirk from both men already seated. Fury handed out the folders, obviously in a hurry to get started, even if their last team member wasn't there just yet.

"Gentlemen," Fury started as he leaned on the desk. "We're going to close out 'the list' on this mission." Logan paused then rushed to start searching the file a little quicker for the information that they'd need. "I'm sure you'll all agree that this is long overdue."

Fury watched Scott much closer than the other two, but the young man didn't show any outward signs of confusion, even if Fury was reasonably sure that the kid didn't know exactly what he was talking about.

"But that's only half of it," Skye said as she let herself into the office, her laptop open and balanced on one arm. "Tivan is in an area that's an easy shot," she told them. "And as soon as he's down, we're expecting a big uproar."

"Which is when we'll go into the valley falls in Two to set up a relay to monitor Viper's computers," Fury finished.

"Great," Logan said, shooting a little smirk Skye's direction as she took the open chair. "So where do you need the relays?"

"Oh no," Fury said, shaking his head. "You're not on that detail. There's no way in hell I'm letting you anywhere near one of Viper's little hidey holes. You're not recovered from the mission with Romanoff, and on the extremely outside chance that we did miss one of your triggers, I am not going to let them take you back to Viper."

"That's not exactly reassuring, seeing as we need to nail her," Logan grumbled.

Maverick thwacked the back of his hand on Logan's chest. "Come on, don't be like that. You get the fun shot anyhow — just from a distance."

Skye was smirking at Maverick. "Yeah, let someone else deal with that green-haired, rotten—"

"Neither one of you two is going to be allowed anywhere near Viper if we know she's going to be an issue," Fury cut in. "So just don't get your hopes up." He took a moment to look all four of them over. "And we don't anticipate her to be anywhere near this job."

"Then it's a good thing we have such a history of things going as anticipated," Scott said without looking up. "What's our plan if she does?"

Fury turned his way. "If she is there, we'll know right away," he replied. "Her security detail is tight. And heavy. We won't be able to touch that place if she's around. But let's just say if you can get a clear shot that you _know_ you can take … don't miss."

Scott nodded at that. "And Mockingbird?"

"Capture her," Fury said easily. "She's not on the kill list. At all."

Scott raised an eyebrow at that but didn't comment, even though he looked like he disagreed with the assessment.

"Great, so I'll take the overall sniper spot," Maverick said to Fury. "How are we going to know when you two are done with your end?"

"That's my job," Skye said. "You and Logan will have one channel so that you can pick off anyone that needs it. Fury and Scott will have the other—" Scott's head came up at that, but she didn't seem to notice. "—and I get to play monkey in the middle if there's a cross over. Most of the locks and switches in Two are online — unless they're super high security. So if you get a locked door — I'm your girl."

"Summers, follow Logan and Maverick — they'll make sure you have the right gear," Fury said. "Comms will be waiting in the plane."

The two ex-black ops team members stood up at that and headed out, expecting Scott to follow if he wanted his armor, and Skye looked at him with an encouraging sort of expression. "You might want to get moving," she said quietly. "I'll see you on the plane."

He shot her a little grin. "Don't worry — if we do find Viper, I won't let him near her," he said on his way out.

"How can I not worry when the two guys going in for the more detailed, close-up work both have depth perception issues?" she teased.

"Hey, I dropped the corrective lenses when I came back from the dead."

But she was grinning at him, wondering how long he was going to waste time before one of the others yelled at him.

When he did catch up to Logan and Maverick, the armor they had piled up for him seemed excessive compared to what he'd been using — but neither of them were saying a word as they both put their own on before pulling on the black fatigues. On the way to the plane, they stopped off at the armory, and Scott was sure that Logan was screwing with him at the number of extra magazines he kept handing him, pointing out different spots on the new uniform that would hold them.

"Square with me — you're not overdoing this because I'm newer at it, right?" Scott said as he took another magazine.

"Nope," he said, shaking his head. "Hopefully you won't need it, but if you do, better to have enough to do the job anyhow."

"I'd give you more than that," Maverick added.

"Well, we'll find out if it's enough for the job soon enough, won't we?" Scott said with an actual smirk.

Logan and Maverick each took a few minutes picking out their rifles — which was a different experience for Scott to watch, seeing as Logan wasn't usually carrying a rifle. But when they both had their weapons picked out and enough ammunition to take out a fair-sized unit of soldiers each … they headed for the plane, where Skye was already setting Fury up with his earpiece.

She went to Scott first and handed him his — explaining the buttons to him on the belt pack because she knew he hadn't used it before. Not this version anyhow. "It's a little more … durable than the ones the Tahiti kids get," she warned. "But you still don't want to beat it up too much."

"Yeah, I won't try and push the limits of Fitz' engineering," he promised with a smirk.

"Oh, I'm not worried about that," she said, waving a hand. "This is secure, and you'll only get Fury and me on it. If you hear anyone or anything else, things have gone horribly, horribly wrong."

"Good to know," he said with a little nod.

She gave him a grin. "You're going to do great; I'm sure of it," she told him before she headed over to set up Maverick and Logan.

When they were all seated — and in the air — Fury drew in a deep breath then turned to Scott. "You got a codename you prefer?" he asked. "Calling out 'hey you' might draw the wrong attention."

Scott paused and frowned at the director. "Didn't… exactly have one before," he said.

"Then I'll go by what they ran with in the betting pools — unless you want to stick with Logan's suggestion." Fury was smirking, knowing damn well that wasn't going to happen.

"Well, what was the betting pools' name?"

"Cyclops," Maverick told him from across the other side of the fuselage. "Seemed fitting at the time."

Scott paused for a moment as he thought it over before he shrugged. "I'm guessing that was after the glasses."

"It was," Maverick replied.

"It's not half bad," Scott said. "Sure. Let's try it on for size."

They all seemed to nod to themselves, as if that was the end of the discussion. It wasn't until they were almost to their landing that anyone started to move. "Now, you guys have to _wait_ until I get the all-clear from your snipers, got it?" Skye said, much more to Scott than to Fury.

Scott gave her a dry look. "Yeah, got that from the briefing."

"Shut up," she said with wide eyes before she popped him in the arm. "I'm trying to look out for you. Just take the help. Maybe try a 'thank you'."

"Really, out of everyone here, _I'm_ the one who needs babysitting," he said with a smirk.

"You tryin' to insinuate something, Summers?" Fury asked as he snapped a magazine into his side arm. "Because I do not appreciate it."

Scott looked toward Fury for a moment before he shook his head. "Not an insinuation — and not directed at you. Just a good hard look at the record is all."

"The records you have _access_ to," Fury pointed out before he gestured for Maverick and Logan to head out. Before Scott could turn to see them leave, they were already out the hatch and well into the darkness.

"They ... move fast," Skye said in explanation. "But you should have plenty of time to get to your checkpoint."

Scott shook his head at her. "They move fast, we move too — gotta be in place in case something happens," he said.

"Save your energy," Fury said, positively strolling off the plane. "Like the girl said: we have time. Of course, that comes more from the fact that we're a lot closer to our checkpoint than they are to theirs."

"Which is all well and good; I just like to be in place early."

"It'll be at least an hour before they can even think about shot placement," Fury said. "Two minutes after that, a call will be made; fifteen after that, EMT's will arrive. We have time."

"Yeah, I did read the briefing material," Scott said. Again.

"Then this will be a good lesson in relaxing. The briefing material is a little more fluid than you're used to. Things change all the time. Which is why we have Skye keeping an eye on things."

* * *

Logan and Maverick had no trouble finding their way through Two — and amazingly had even less trouble getting set up in their respective spots. Maverick was watching Logan's back while he set up … letting him know when patrols were coming near so he could stop what he was doing and hold tight until they passed.

The building in question was a pretty easy shot from where Logan was prone, and like Tivan's previous house the windows were large and dressed with overly extravagant and ugly curtains.

Once Logan and North were both comfortable and ready to go, Logan called in to Skye to confirm that they were in position and settled in for the shot — whenever it presented itself.

It looked like Tivan had just moved into the place, settling into his newest hidey hole and almost compulsively checking all the doors and windows before he did anything like unpacking. The change in the former Games host was telling — he looked wilted and jittery, though he did seem a little more like his old self when he started to unpack not clothes, not food, but items from his collection.

Somehow, the man had managed to keep a few choice pieces, and it seemed like they were as much for self-defense as they were for show. He took the sword that had once been used by Kitty in the Games and made a few practice swings with it before he set it in a place of prominence — but still somewhere that he could grab it if need be.

Clearly, the paranoia was getting to him.

Logan was watching him through the scope, and he barely breathed out through the comm that he had an opening. Tivan had just set down Banner's notebook on an unopened box and turned toward the window, nervously glaring into the darkness as Logan slowly squeezed the trigger.

The report from the rifle echoed in the comms, and Logan put his eye back in the glass to watch — and saw the moment of impact for as far away as he was from his target.

"The list is clean," Logan said, still watching through the scope as the silence seemed to echo around him. "On the move now."

* * *

As soon as Scott and Fury got the signal from Skye, they made their way to the entrance of one of the relays, and as Fury slid through the door first, Scott took a quick second to check his feet, take a breath, and follow, concentrating hard on remembering _exactly_ the steps his old mentor had told him. And on not looking like he was concentrating hard on exactly that. For as much as it had annoyed him that the others seemed to think he needed reminding of every step, he knew he wasn't as experienced, so he was focusing on making a good showing at least.

The place was crawling with green, but there were plenty of places for the two of them to hide before they had to split up and set up lines into the relays. They kept constant radio contact with Skye, who was sure to open doors for them and even patch into the security to alert them if they were getting too close to any guard patrols.

Once he was on his own, away from Fury, Scott could relax the tiniest bit — though he was still doing his best to be as professional as anyone that had ever worked the job. He was keeping an eye out for anything that might look important — and the two men in slightly differently-styled uniforms talking in hushed whispers definitely looked important.

He made his way closer, careful of his every step, until he found a good hidey hole and settled in to listen.

"Are you on the new protective detail too?" one of the Hydra soldiers asked the other. "Seems like most of us are getting put in the line of fire."

"They're just nervous. SHIELD's been pretty quiet lately, and Baron Von Strucker swears up and down they have some kind of computer guru that's into their systems," the second guard replied. "Guy's crazy paranoid. If they knew where the heads were, there would be new heads"

"I just hate having to guard that woman," the first said with a shiver. "Last time I was on that detail, she killed two guards just for laughs."

"Watch your back, then," the second said. "If you're going back to Madripoor, she'll do more than that."

"No, not Madripoor, thank God," he replied. "They want to relocate to Six. New facility. Further out for SHIELD to hit."

But that had the second one leaning forward. "If you're on her detail _and_ in Six, you'll be on detail for them both, so just… don't die, man."

"Yeah, I was trying not to think about it that way," he replied before the two of them broke down into small talk.

Scott followed the first guy for a while before he got on the radio to report it in, careful to keep his voice low. "I didn't see anything on the gear list that would let me tag somebody," he told Skye once he'd updated her.

"Well, normally they don't bring anything like that along unless that's the job," she replied. "But after that stupid trade off, Fury had trackers put into the collars of the armor. You should have one on the right side of your neck. If you want to work that out of the armor, it would work."

"Thanks — I'll do that," Scott agreed, pulling a knife to work around the collar until he found the device Skye was talking about. From there, he just had to slip down closer to the two guards and wait for them to pass his hiding place, reaching out to drop the tracer in the left boot of the guy being transferred to Viper's detail.

"Keep an eye on that signal, would you?" Scott said once he'd retreated a good distance to where he wouldn't be overheard.

"Got it running in the background already," Skye replied. "Did you get my piggyback put into their system? Because if you did, it's not active yet." She nearly sang the second part.

"Yeah, working on it now," Scott said, shaking his head at her. "Sorry to get sidetracked," he had to tease.

"I'm teasing you … but only just a little bit. I really do need that feed."

"Yeah, I know. I'm on it," he promised, already picking up the pace as he went back to what he'd been doing before he was sidetracked.

Another twenty minutes passed before she returned to their channel, the smile in her voice evident. "Your snipers are in place ready to cover you if need be."

"On our way," Scott said, already headed to rendezvous with Fury. "You got your piggyback up and running?"

"Like a top," she replied, still grinning. "I appreciate it, too."

Scott and Fury met up before they could hit the rendezvous, and with a wordless nod, it was clear that the job was done for their part and it was simply a matter of getting out and back to the plane. It wasn't until after they were out of danger that Maverick and Logan would pull back too.

Scott was nearly there when both he and Fury fell under fire. They managed to find cover with a large rock but they couldn't poke their heads out to return fire. When it was painfully apparent that they couldn't defend themselves — and that the cover they had was unmercifully tight, Fury made the move to call for backup. "They have us pinned; can you get those two to clear a path _before_ they change their vantage point?" He was shouting, but he was certainly right — the Hydra soldiers on the higher level were already moving their position, and once they did, the two of them would have no cover.

On hearing the slightly panicked relay from Skye, Logan and Maverick started picking off soldiers — dropping them from opposite ends of the high cliff. As the bodies fell, the sound of the report off the sniper rifles finally met them. "Just tell them they better keep their heads below the level of that rock," Logan called back to Skye. "I'd hate to plug one of em by mistake."

"Keep your heads down," Skye told Fury and Scott, and both shared a look and tried to make themselves smaller — a trick considering that both of them were over six feet tall and the rock was barely over three.

"You ever get the feeling that Logan's screwing with you because he can?" Fury said dryly, grimacing as a ricochet from Hydra went past his ear.

"All the time," Scott replied.

"We're leapfrogging our way closer for a better vantage point," North told Skye over the comms. "You should be able to move once they see Logan coming."

Fury and Scott got ready, and as soon as the gunfire and shouting erupted toward another direction, they took off for the checkpoint. As they slid into better cover, the gunfire drew back to them, and Scott took a shot to his armor. It didn't breach it, but it hit a lot harder than he was used to.

Fury showed him a few quick tricks as he hurried in his instructions to him on how best to cover him so he could try and throw a grenade, and the resulting small explosion was enough to get them both a little further. They were headed for an outcropping that would be better cover to make their next move, and they'd nearly made it when the smoke had cleared and the gunfire turned back their way. Fury took a hit that had him stumbling, and Scott didn't hesitate before he'd grabbed the director and pulled him behind the outcropping.

It hadn't pierced Fury's armor, but it had knocked the wind out of him, and what's worse, the outcropping wasn't nearly as good for cover as it had looked before. The other side of it had sharp edges and not much in the way of space to move, and when gunfire erupted from a new direction, they were uncomfortably close as they tried to make themselves smaller targets.

There was a lull in the gunfire as the soldiers' attention was diverted elsewhere, and Fury and Scott shared a look before they both sprinted for better, less sharp and dangerous cover. Neither of them saw the sharp turn in the rock that disguised a small outlet until there were several Hydra soldiers in their faces, and Scott, who had been on Fury's left and closer to the outlet, took a rifle to the gut that had him doubling even as another soldier grabbed his shoulder and Fury beside him swung around to face the new threat.

The two men fought their way out of the pocket they'd found themselves tucked into one swing at a time. Every victory against the Hydra footmen felt like one step forward and two back.

Until their snipers finally got in position to do their jobs.

As Scott found himself facing down one of the charged up blue Hydra guns, his would-be attacker suddenly fell backward and hit the ground about the same time the report from the rifle reached his ears.

* * *

From the other end of the rock-covered expanse, North and Logan had settled into a pair of well-hidden alcoves where the view was _much_ better than the one they'd used to cover the initial exit. Had they known about the bunker of soldiers that was close to the checkpoint that Fury had chosen, they would have picked their spot differently, but — as was usually the case in a quick mission — things had to change on the fly.

From where they were positioned, it was a simple matter of anticipating their shots to avoid their teammates on the ground. Of course, when neither Fury nor Scott seemed to keep to one strategy, anticipating where they were headed wasn't the easiest thing to do.

For the time being, they tried to avoid anyone that was too close to either Fury or Scott. But the drawback was that sooner rather than later, the Hydra goons figured it out and swarmed the two on the ground.

As the two men became more overwhelmed, the snipers began taking riskier shots. North swore, unsure if he'd shot Scott's arm or if it was one of the soldiers on the ground as he picked one off of his back.

"Tell those two to try and shoot _them_ ," Fury barked out, and the two of his snipers shared a look across the desert when Skye relayed the message before knuckling down at their scopes. Moving targets at four hundred yards was a lot harder to deal with than ones that stood still or kept a steady pace. Jerky close combat was certainly not ideal.

* * *

On the ground, the small swarm of Hydra soldiers was making more headway than Scott cared to admit, though on the other hand, he had never seen Fury fight before, and it was a sight to behold. The man fought with elbows and knees and still made it look graceful, which was strange for a man of his size.

Scott was trying to put his own training to bear on the two Hydra goons that had come at him from either side, using one against the other as he tried to pull them into each other's line of fire, and he had just turned to face the next when Fury elbowed the man in the gut and Scott finished him off. There were still another four coming, and one of them got a hand on Scott's left wrist and _yanked_ , and he let out a sharp gasp. Someone took a shot at Fury that only just missed but had the director ducking into the line of fire of a second, and Fury was forced to drop flat to avoid being shot point-blank.

Scott tried to twist around to face the man that still had his arm but only succeeded partway, so instead, he simply kicked out and drove the heel of his foot into the man's gut. But he was rewarded for his temporary freedom with the butt of a second soldier's rifle across his shoulders that sent him reeling. He scrambled to rise but was met with a boot in the small of his back that pinned him down.

The soldiers around Scott all cocked their handguns, and it was apparent that most of them were trained on Scott when Fury called out for them to stop. "He's just a dumb kid — he doesn't deserve to be shot down like a dog." The flurry of Hydra soldiers seemed to regroup as they moved to take both of them into custody, murmuring among themselves about how the orders remained in place: capture, even if they fought back.

But as they had Fury with his hands up, one of the snipers took a shot that dropped one of the Hydra guards by Scott, and the quick result was a handgun in the director's face.

"Tell your sniper to stand down," the green-clad soldier ordered. Fury calmly made the order to Skye, who sounded shaken as she relayed it to Logan and North.

All eyes were on the distant rock outcroppings to watch as one of them — though they couldn't tell from the distance who, seemed to get to their knees from a prone position, hands raised as he almost materialized out of the rocks.

Of course, the Hydra soldiers didn't seem to realize that there were two — and as soon as the man stepped partly out from behind Fury, he dropped to the ground with a bullet in his head, and _then_ the sound of the shot reached them.

Over the comms, Skye was freaking out, wide-eyed in disbelief at what she'd just seen. From Scott's vantage point, he was sure everything had gone horribly wrong, because when the soldier went down... so did Fury. But as soon as Scott had been convinced that things had gone irretrievably south, Fury kicked out at the guard nearest him, toppling him and startling those around him.

The fight was back on.

Determined to make up for getting caught in the first place, Scott was a whirl of as much fight as he could manage — fists, knees, and even a Hydra gun he snatched from someone who got too close. It was clear once Fury was up and fighting that the tide had turned, as the soldiers hadn't been prepared for a second round and had relaxed. The sniper fire kept anyone who wasn't already in the brawl at bay, and it wasn't long before the last of the Hydra soldiers close enough to get hit was down in a little blue explosion — and Scott and Fury were racing to meet back up at the jet.

"Did those two make it out okay, or do we need to keep picking them off?" North asked over the comms, though his tone was all business.

Skye asked the question for North, still wide-eyed as she wasn't even sure what it was that she'd seen on the cameras herself.

"We made it out fine — except I really wanna know which one of those jackasses tried to take my ear off," Fury barked back.

"Pretty sure they're not talking, but I am looking at the camera angles now," Skye replied, though the fact was … she was pretty sure how it went down if the amount of swearing coming from both snipers was any indication.

* * *

After the mission, neither Logan or North said anymore than what was necessary. Both felt as if there had been some unavoidable complications, but between Scott getting shot — ' _Mav, that was you'_ — and Fury freshly missing part of his ear — ' _I swear to God I'm not going to tell anyone you did that... for both our sakes.'_ — there wasn't much to be said.

"Wasn't a mistake," Logan said suddenly as they broke into a jog, rifles slung over their shoulders.

"No, it wasn't. It was just … really, _really_ close," Maverick replied. "It's not like you to take the trick shot — and you know he's pissed about it."

Logan nodded his head in agreement. "He'll be fine once he calms down," he promised quietly.

When they got to the jet, Skye was waiting and shaking her head at both of them. "You are so lucky I don't have a good camera angle on that."

The two of them shared a look and put their rifles down. "I'm pretty sure that I'm lucky you weren't recording the transmissions," Logan replied.

"Yes, I _did_ delete that data. Must have forgotten to hit the record button at the start," she replied, shaking her head before she took a few steps forward and gave him a quick kiss. "You are in so much trouble."

"I didn't do anything," Logan replied with a frown before he and Maverick headed over to take a seat.

"Yeah, me either," Maverick added, both of them taking identical confused expressions. "Everything went off without a hitch."

"Right. If you say so," Skye replied, shaking her head. "Somehow, from the complaining on the other channel, I don't think Fury agrees with you."

"That's not new," Maverick replied, settling in to get more comfortable. "But he'd be in a lot worse mood if we hadn't saved his butt."

Logan and Maverick were fairly relaxed by the time that Fury and Scott returned, but when the two of them climbed into the jet, Fury was livid. And Scott looked like he'd had to listen to him complain the whole way. That or being sent out into the field with the head of SHIELD wasn't all that Scott had hoped it would be ... or some combination of the two.

As soon as Fury and Scott sat down across from Logan and Maverick, Fury glared at both of them for a moment as if just by staring, the guilty party would crack. Sadly — not so. If anything, they looked bored.

"So, you wanna debrief?" Maverick asked with a perfect poker face. "Because, you know, it's different when you actually go with. Do we really need to re-tell you what happened—"

"What happened?" Fury repeated. "The only damn thing I want to know is which one of you two stood up and which one fired."

Neither of them looked to the other or broke their expression in the least.

"We were both firing all night," Logan replied, though his tone was perfectly calm, and Skye did her best to avoid anyone seeing the open-mouthed stare she was giving the two snipers. "You're going to have to be more specific."

"I'm missing half an ear because one of you took a risky shot. Who was it?" Fury demanded.

But neither one came anywhere close to cracking their game faces.

"If it was anyone but you, it wouldn't be an issue, but it seems to me that either the guy that did it gets commended for _excellent_ aim ... or court martialed for a near miss," Maverick reasoned. "We're not taking that chance."

Fury glared at both of them — but he could see that they'd come to the decision together. It was a hell of a shot, and as evidenced by the blood on the side of his head, a little further to the left, and it would have been a two for one.

"Logan, when we get back, I want you to take Scott down to medical for his arm. Don't leave his side until he's bandaged up," Fury directed.

"Why don't you take him down — seeing as you need your head examined," Logan countered.

"I'll go when I'm good and ready. Make sure he's taken care of before I decide that it was you that nearly shot me in the head."

"He knows the way himself and doesn't want me around him," Logan argued.

"You picked him; you follow through," Fury shot back.

"It's just the arm; it's not like I need help getting there," Scott reasoned.

"And it's not entirely about the arm," Fury replied. "Don't argue with me. I get enough of that with those two chuckleheads."

"If you want to charge him, say so; don't assign him to me as a half-baked excuse. I'm not here for you to deflect him," Scott shot back.

"I'm assigning him to follow through because it was his idea to bring you along for this little field trip, so that's the way it's going to be," Fury replied with some heat. "And why the hell would I charge him?"

Scott leaned back and gestured at him. "Well there you have it. You're mad as hell, but it doesn't mean anything, so stop blowing it off on him and me."

Maverick and Logan shared a look, and with a shake of his head, Maverick pulled out his wallet and slipped Logan a twenty. "You think I'd know better by now," Maverick said, shaking his head.

"This is what happens when there's no girls on the team," Skye muttered their way with a twinkle in her eye.

"What, you think he wouldn't take your money?" Maverick laughed.

"No, he takes my money all the time," she said with a little grin.

"Don't say that to America," Logan cut in.

"You're not scared of her, are you?" Skye teased.

"No. But she won't quit with that as it is," he explained. "It's like if Kate never knew when to stop. Ever."

"Why do you think they're friends?" Skye chuckled.

"Forced proximity for starters," he replied. "And America thinks she's cute. Like … most of the girls around."

"America has good taste," Skye said with a smirk.

"She does," he agreed, though he was watching Fury begin to wind down, taking stock of himself before he finally let out a sigh.

"Alright. We did our part," Fury said in a tired tone. "Tell me how the first part went down."

"Just a couple guard patrols. One shot — confirmed, though some of those items in his collection won't be the same," Logan replied.

Fury nodded to himself and then leaned back. "Did you get body cams on this thing?" he directed to Skye. "I'm sure our fight with half of Hydra would be interesting to watch from that angle."

"I got some of it," she agreed. "But more fun than that is the fact that you guys _didn't_ manage to kill the guard that Scott bugged. So ... score!"

"Oh, good," Scott said in a considerably better tone. "Don't know if he'll still be headed the way we want him after all this, but ... worth keeping an eye out."

"Where was he going?" Logan asked.

"He had his transfer orders for Viper's guard detail," Scott told him. "Heard him talking with another guy while we were working."

"He'll be on it then," Logan replied, nodding. "She doesn't like to change the ones she picks out. Especially if they've done it once or twice before. They all think she's going to kill them, and she gets a kick out of it."

"Then we've got a lead," Scott said with a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Logan was smirking Fury's way for a while until the director started shaking his head. "I'm not paying up on any bets until you two tell me who the shooter was."

"You can't put conditions on after the fact," Maverick said.

Fury leaned forward a bit. "Watch me."

"Sore loser," Logan muttered before he leaned his head back against his headrest.

* * *

When the jet got in, there was no need for a debrief, since Fury had been on the team, so Skye went straight to her cabin to set up a stronger search and signal for the tracker. The team split, with Scott headed to medical — though he was surprised when Logan _actually_ came too. "You can knock it off. I don't need a chaperone," Scott grumbled out at him.

"Yeah, but I'm going anyhow," he agreed.

"Shouldn't you be trying to collect from Fury instead?"

"He'll pay up later," Logan replied, totally unconcerned.

Scott glanced over his shoulder and gave him a dry look before he seemed to shrug him off. "Well, I'm glad we got something useful out of your prank anyway."

"Wasn't a prank," Logan said. "Fury doesn't take part in stuff like that. Not off base anyhow."

"So what was the bet then?" Scott said. "How long before, what, I got shot or something?"

"No, I don't bet on that," Logan answered. "I bet Fury you'd surprise him, that's all."

Scott shook his head. "On what? Not like he doesn't know what Hydra and SHIELD trained me on."

"This wasn't about your training," he replied. "This was about you. Personally."

"That fills me with confidence, Logan. Thanks for that."

"It _should_ ," Logan grumbled back. "It was to the positive side of things. And he liked you."

Scott stopped walking to turn toward Logan. "Listen, I get that you and your team are throwing bets around and jokes, but try not to lie to my face, alright?"

"Scooter, I've never lied to you," Logan replied low. "And I'm not about to start."

"Same thing as lying if you try and talk up how it went." Scott waved him off.

"Don't believe me, then. _If_ he liked the way you worked, he'll ask you along again," Logan said with a shrug. "But if I were you, I wouldn't worry about finding another team unless Fury assigns it. So maybe I should ask how you liked it."

Scott shrugged. "Heavier than I'm used to," he said. "But we came out with intel on Viper, so…"

"Yeah, you had the fun job," Logan agreed. "And I saw you pull Fury's butt outta the fire."

Scott almost smirked. "Not as dramatically as you did it."

"What makes you think it was me?"

"Was it?"

"I'm asking what you think. Fury'll figure it out by morning anyhow."

"I think it's exactly the shot you'd take, and I think you'd take it to keep a friend out of Hydra's hands," Scott said at last.

"I had orders to drop him if the option was letting Fury get captured," Logan told him.

"Then that clinches it," Scott said with a shrug.

"Mav had the same orders," Logan said. "So it still boils down to who you think it is, and although Maverick is probably singing like a canary right now—"

"If it was Maverick, you'd say it was you," Scott reasoned. "At least until after Fury was done being mad."

"He wasn't mad," Logan said. "He was shaken. But he liked the job _you_ did anyhow."

"Helps when you don't shoot him," Scott said with the ghost of a smirk.

"It was a graze. Dermabond. Not even stitches."

"Yeah, I know, I was there." They hit the medical cabin, and Scott paused. "Probably need a little more training so I don't end up a liability again, though."

"You weren't a liability," Logan told him. "You did alright."

"I can do better."

"You're on a first name basis with Nick after your first mission with him," Logan pointed out. "You did fine."

That actually got a surprised sort of smile before Scott could stop it before he shouldered into medical.


	30. A Long-Awaited Mission

**Chapter 30: A Long-Awaited Mission**

* * *

 _January 18_

 _District Six_

* * *

The tracer that Scott had put on the Hydra soldier went dead about halfway through Six, which meant SHIELD had a general area to work with for Viper's whereabouts — but not specifics.

They had three different teams out trying to pinpoint it, with orders not to engage but to signal the other teams _first_. A three-man team wasn't going to cut it against Hydra's highest, depending on who was there.

While the awesomes — sans Logan — had gone west and Steve had taken Sam and Natasha north, Clint, Wade, and Betsy headed east, and Clint was clearly ready to _go_. Wherever Viper was, that's where Bobbi was, and he'd been saying for ages it was time to bring her back.

There was strict radio silence between the teams, which was pretty impressive, considering both Hawkeyes were there _and_ Peter and Wade. Still, it was deadly still as evening fell in Six and Steve picked his way around the one district that was still so very firmly in Hydra's grasp.

So it was almost disconcerting when the silence was broken by the low whine of Natasha's Widow's Bites charging up, and he turned to see her several yards behind him, her eyes narrowed toward something he couldn't see. He paused and then started to double back to ask her what was up — though that was entirely unnecessary when the squadron of Hydra suddenly swarmed out of nowhere, seemingly coming out of the hillside closest to him.

Steve managed to get his shield up between himself and the first blasts, ducking behind it as best he could as he went to his comm... and then swearing loudly when it didn't work. Whatever dead zone had killed Scott's tracer, it was killing their communications as well.

"Widow!" he called out to Natasha, who shot him a _look_ as she vaulted over the shoulders of the nearest soldier.

"Yeah, I see them."

* * *

To the west, the trio of Kate, Kurt, and Peter weren't seeing nearly the heat that Steve's group was. In fact, the little group of soldiers that they had been staking out seemed to suddenly pick up and move — leaving only what looked like what was necessary for guard duty.

"That … looks like the party is leaving us behind," Peter said, watching the soldiers running away. "We didn't even get to work them over."

"They saw your webshooters and were so intimidated they ran," Kate teased over the comms, running across the rooftops to try and see where they were going.

"One of these days, when we are not in mortal danger, I'm going to web your hands to that bow," Peter warned.

"Can you web them to Kurt instead?" she teased.

"That would be a fairly safe thing to do," Peter said. "If you're webbed together, you can't get into _trouble._ "

"I really think we can," Kurt said with a little smirk.

"Not if you're fully clothed when I web you up!" When there was a slight pause, Peter shouted out a 'HA!' in triumph.

"We'll just go dancing," Kurt decided at last.

"Webbin' your feet."

"Still better than anything you and Gwen are up to," Kate sang out over the comms.

"Well, at least our hands will be operational," Peter said, running toward the nearest guard before he webbed the guy up, arms across his chest.

"Atta boy, Petey," Kate called out, shooting through a couple guards as well.

"Oh, look at that! Take one out, another one takes his place!" Peter called out, though he wasn't exactly laughing. "Should we follow where the others went or watch the exits for terribly evil types on the lam?"

"Give them another half an hour," Kurt suggested. "With the way half of our teammates are feeling, I wouldn't be surprised if we saw Viper running out the door any moment now — with any number of our friends chasing her down."

* * *

Betsy was leading the way into the complex itself while the other teams were drawing the attention off of the building. Clint was obviously ready for a fight, and Wade was quietly cheerleading him on, singing some old fight tune under his breath that Betsy only caught snippets of.

A rush of soldiers went past as they pressed themselves around the corner, and with a nod, the three of them ran deeper the way — the soldiers had come from. "This is going to take forever," Betsy muttered. "We have no idea where we're going."

"Still closer than we've ever been," Clint said under his breath.

"I hope you're right and this isn't some elaborate trap," she replied.

"It's almost definitely an elaborate trap. We're just gonna snap it on them this time," Clint replied without missing a beat.

She smirked at him and took out a short blade. "Then let's find the trigger."

* * *

While the awesomes were pushing through soldiers and Clint's team was frustrated by the slow progress ... Steve's team was in serious hot water.

The truth of the matter was simply that they had been swamped. Steve was proud of his partners for just how many of the Hydra soldiers they'd taken down in the process, but that didn't change the fact that all three of them were being dragged through the nondescript halls of a Hydra compound. When he glanced over to check on them, he saw the Natasha was at least starting to stir and that Sam was doing his best to make the guards miserable even restrained ... but they wound up in a room with _all_ of Hydra's higher ups all the same.

"Oh, I don't want that one," Viper was saying, looking down her nose at Natasha. "I'm surprised they even let her wander around."

"Yeah, well, we're all surprised they let you out of your cage, so don't throw stones, Viper," Sam grumbled her way.

She smirked his way. "And now I'm torn between the two."

"I still want the girl," Bobbi said over Viper's shoulder. "I've been _more_ than patient…"

"You have, so now it just stands at second place or second rate _to_ second place." She turned to Bobbi. "What do you think? It was so much fun playing with another victor …"

"I think…" Bobbi chewed on her bottom lip. "I think we let our Supreme Leader have his prize — the great Captain."

"Good answer," Viper admitted, sounding a bit put out. "How long before he gets here?" She pulled out her tube of lipstick and started to apply it as she smirked at Sam. "I've missed having someone to play with."

"How do you two even get around the _face_ problems?" Sam shot back. "Or are you strictly no-kissing lovers?"

"Are you volunteering to find out?"

"You're really not my type. I don't date below me."

"Like that matters," she replied flatly. "And it would be a step up from footsoldier."

"So he's a footsoldier when you're mad but a victor when you want to play?" Steve asked with his chin thrust out.

She turned his way with a glare and started to head toward him when the Skull arrived along with a large entourage. "Later," Viper promised. "You won't die quickly."

" _You_ will, though," Steve said.

She looked ready to strike him when Schmit intervened. "Now, now my dear — there will be time for that once they're secured. We are under attack."

"I'll make sure they get secured with the rest of the equipment," Bobbi said softly, glancing at Natasha as the two girls met gazes for a moment. "They've never breached our labs before — they won't find their friends there."

"Go ahead," Schmit replied. "Make sure they are unable to even cry out before you leave them."

"I know just the thing," Bobbi promised as she motioned for the Hydra soldiers to take the three captives down to the labs. The soldiers manhandled all three of them until they reached a spot deeper in the compound, and Bobbi spun on her heel once the door was shut. "Leave them here," she indicated with one hand, and when the soldiers moved to comply, she shot all three of the escorts in rapid succession.

"We don't have long, and we're going to have to run," Bobbi said as she freed each of them — starting with Sam.

"There's another two teams with us," Sam told her.

"Who's here?" she asked, moving on to Natasha while Sam went to Steve.

"Both Hawkeyes, Deadpool, the awesomes, and Braddock," Sam replied over the look Steve was giving him of pure disbelief that he was just _handing the names to Bobbi._

"If it's not too much trouble, try to make sure they don't kill me," Bobbi said. "I can't take it here another minute."

"Fury's got the order out to capture you anyway," Sam promised.

"Do you have a panic button?" Natasha asked Bobbi. "Because now would be the time."

"Yes, but it's not going to work really well in this bubble," Bobbi pointed out. "They have a new device that kills all communication. The Hydra tech reboots about five times faster than SHIELD's … and they hit it in just enough time to wreck the beacon." She looked down the hall. "So my point ... is that I've been _trying._ "

Natasha frowned at that, then simply tipped her head. "Then it's a good thing we're here," she said as she grabbed the gun from the nearest dead Hydra soldier.

"You have no idea," Bobbi agreed, rifling through the other soldier's weapons and handing them to the guys. "I'll show you the shortcut."

Sam and Steve glanced at each other. "Shortcut out or shortcut to the big guns?" Sam asked. "Because it seems to me… since we're here…"

Bobbi paused. "You really want to take them on right now?"

"They're scrambling to defend from an outside attack. They won't be looking inside," Sam pointed out.

Bobbi paused to think it over for a long moment before she finally nodded. "I swear, Sam, if you get me killed, I'll never forgive you," she said before she started to head toward the room where Viper and Schmit were sure to be.

"Well, seeing as I'll be dead too, I think I'll get over it," Sam shot back, close on her heels.

* * *

With the captives supposedly taken care of, Schmit and Viper had turned their attention to the large screens showing the fight outside. They were almost leisurely watching, discussing casually which ones needed to die and which they could try to make use of. So their attention was elsewhere as Steve picked up his shield from where it was leaning and positively winged it at the Skull.

The crack that echoed the room was terrific, and the Skull fell without any other sound than that, the shield mark on the back of his head showing the split skull underneath the red skin. He was dead before he even hit the ground.

Viper, however, spun on the spot — and went from shocked to positively livid on seeing them there. In a fit of rage, she didn't even speak before she simply whipped two darts at them and pulled out her whip.

Sam and Bobbi both ducked the darts and then glanced at each other before they burst forward in tandem, knowing it was better to get in Viper's face and knock her out fast rather than let her get more of those darts. When Viper reached for another dart, Bobbi struck out with one stave and knocked her hard enough that she dropped her dart. "Try it. I'm immune," she all but sneered.

Viper smirked. "I should thank you," she replied before she lashed out with the whip, cracking the gun out of Sam's hand. "Seeing as _I'm_ in charge now."

"It'll be a short reign," Bobbi promised as Sam dropped low to avoid another strike.

"We'll see about that," Viper replied coolly. "I'm only disappointed that I'll have to admit that the baron was right. There really is no way that SHIELD could have attempted to rewire my wayward husband so quickly without inside information." She dodged Bobbi's attack and spun to snap the whip around Steve's ankle and yank him off his feet. "I'll have to fix that."

The other three rushed to Steve's defense as he tried to get free of Viper's whip — but while they certainly had the advantage against Viper alone, the door burst open to turn the tide and admit Von Strucker, along with a few lieutenants, who started firing as soon as they saw Viper under attack.

"The Red Skull is no more," Viper called out as she found herself between Bobbi and Natasha. "And I have no use for them." But when Strucker seemed to weigh it out, she snarled at him. "Don't be a fool; they won't kill me for _you_."

"I'm not opposed to it," Natasha said under her breath as she caught a gun that Bobbi tossed her way.

Viper glared at her and looked like she was going to make a break for it, though instead of trying to break the line that Sam and Steve had, she jumped at Steve and simply kissed him. He tried to hold on to her until the poison hit his system … and he just crumpled. "You're next, Falcon."

But before she could make a further move, Bobbi took both staves in her hands and swung out, striking Viper across the head. Viper crumpled, and Bobbi shook her head hard once before she glanced at Steve. "I know the antidote; get him in the plane," she told Sam, who didn't need telling twice as he scooped up his fallen friend while Natasha laid down cover fire. As for Bobbi, she moved to grab the unconscious Viper, her gaze locked on Von Strucker in almost a dare.

Von Strucker moved forward, clearly about to try to stop them ... when both of the lieutenants around him went down — one with an arrow in his chest and another with a bullet in his head as Clint's team showed up.

Clint grinned outright when he saw Bobbi. "No worries, Bob — the cavalry's here," he said.

She smiled up at him in relief. "Wanna help me with our prisoner?"

"Can't I just kill her?" Clint asked with distaste in his tone even as he did just that and moved to help her.

"Pretty sure she's got some secrets we could use," Bobbi said. "Otherwise, you might have to fight me for it."

"Yeah, that's not what I'm planning on doing with you," Clint promised with a huge grin before he had to pull her into a kiss that she returned... all the way up until Von Strucker shot her. And the way that Clint knew it had been a shot was that it went through and through — and stopped when it hit his armor, too.

"You dirty rotten sack of crap!" Wade shouted out before he began to unload both side arms toward Von Strucker. "Interfering with the Hawkingbird!" He fired until he was out of ammo, then threw the weapons — one at a time — at Von Strucker, hitting him with both as he backed up a few steps.

Strucker drew his sword in defense, and Wade started to laugh before he pulled his own twin blades — more than ready to play. But as the katanas began to sing in the air, Betsy drew his attention back to them. "We need cover — let the old fool go!"

"Take Viper," Natasha said as she rushed to where Clint looked like the world was ending and Bobbi was bleeding badly. "Clint," she said to get his attention, and when that didn't work, she smacked him in the shoulder. "Barton, move. _Now_ ," she said in a much stronger tone, and it was enough to get him to blink into action, scooping Bobbi up as they headed toward the nearest exit — Sam carrying Steve and Wade with Viper over one shoulder as he and Betsy cut through anyone in the way.

* * *

Outside, the action had died down considerably for the last trio of fighters, so they simply weren't prepared when the shouting started and none other than Von Strucker and his lieutenants popped out of the exit in a rage. He was starting to shout about the dire need to retrieve their Lady Hydra when Peter took advantage and shot a wad of webbing that plastered Werner's hands to his chest.

"We don't have time to play with children," Von Strucker nearly screamed to his guard. "Dispose of them!"

"Whatever happened to lessons?" Kurt asked through his smirk as he rushed forward, both swords drawn and ready to put his training with Logan to the test.

Strucker narrowed his eyes at Kurt as he spun to meet the advance, something like a sneer rising up when he saw that Kurt met his blade with a little more strength than he had the first time they crossed each other.

Kate and Peter were laying down cover for the sword fight, all but daring the guard detail to try and intervene, not knowing what had happened inside, but doing what they could to keep Von Strucker there until backup would inevitably follow.

"Need a little webbing?" Peter asked Kurt as the two swordsmen danced and fought, far less banter this time around; it was clear that Von Strucker felt he had places to be that were not infested with SHIELD agents.

"If you can," Kurt ground out, only just deflecting one of Von Strucker's blows. He was keeping up better than he had before, but again, for as angry as Von Strucker was, he seemed only to be getting more precise — the opposite of Zemo, who had gotten sloppier the angrier he got.

Peter tried for a few shots, but Von Strucker managed to dodge them. And when Peter finally aimed very carefully and anticipated the man's moves, he still didn't get to see how well he was leading the man as his web cartridge simply fizzled. "Um … about that …"

Kurt frowned for a moment, but Von Strucker simply sneered at his expression. "Can't be bothered by a fair fight, boy?"

"As if you'd be the one to teach such a lesson," Kurt countered.

"I don't teach lessons twice," Von Strucker replied. "Especially to insolent children." With that, he simply seemed to step up his attack, and his next blow rang in Kurt's ears.

"Then it's good that I have more talented teachers," Kurt replied. It was clear he was managing to hold off the much harder blows rather than lose his weapon as had happened before. In fact, he was doing marvelously — right up until he heard Kate cry out and looked over to see that one of Von Strucker's men had managed to get up to her rooftop and simply toss her over.

As soon as he was distracted, Von Strucker made his move and sliced into Kurt's arm. Kurt cried out and pulled back, turning his attention from Peter rushing to catch Kate back to Von Strucker.

"Focus, boy."

Kurt bared his teeth as the injured arm hung uselessly at his side. "And you talk about fair fights," he all but growled.

"She was your second in this duel, wasn't she?" Von Strucker asked. "And he was mine."

Kurt narrowed his eyes and readjusted his grip on his left sword, looking for all the world like he was ready to run Von Strucker through one-handed. But a shot rang out, and Von Strucker let out a cry as Natasha nailed him in the shoulder. Von Strucker's sword clattered to the ground, and in an instant, his lieutenants were moving to get him out before the last of Hydra's leadership could be overtaken by SHIELD.

"No time to play," Betsy called out, leading the way with Natasha. "We have wounded and a prisoner."

"Yeah, we've got wounded too," Peter agreed, carrying Kate with a large bruise on her forehead and tipping his head at Kurt. "Anybody _not_ get hit?"

"I'm fine!" Wade called out. "But we should probably get moving. My luck has been _great_ so far, and I'd like to keep it that way." He rushed ahead of them. "I'll hold the door for you!"

The group of kids rushed through District Six, taking advantage of the confusion around what all had happened to get to where May was waiting with their transport — though of course, when May saw the state of half of their team, she looked honestly concerned.

"What happened?" she asked, already getting the plane in the air the moment the hatch even started to close.

"Killed one Hydra head and kidnapped another," Sam explained. "They didn't take it well."

"Wait, you killed the Skull?" Peter asked, wide-eyed.

"Technically, Steve did," Sam said with a smirk.

"And Viper kissed him," Natasha explained. "Bobbi knows the antidote, but…" She gestured to where Clint was still halfway clutching Bobbi. "Well, we should have it on record anyway. At least something from all the intel she's sent on Viper's poisons."

"So she was inside the whole time," Betsy said with one eyebrow arched. "Or did she turn against Viper? I'm still not clear."

"She was on our team the whole time," May supplied. "Deep, _deep_ cover."

"And Viper?" Kurt asked as Peter helped him get his arm wrapped.

"Taking her in for questioning," Natasha said. "She's their new leader now."

"Not much of a leader," Sam said, prodding the unconscious woman with the tip of one toe.

"Better make sure you search her before she wakes up," May reminded him.

"Right," Sam said with a nod before he searched through the plane to get another couple of gloves to make sure he didn't accidentally stick himself.

* * *

By the time they landed, Viper was starting to wake up, and she panicked at realizing that the SHIELD team had not, in fact, left her behind. Apparently, though, she was smart enough _not_ to say anything, even as Sam was joined by Trip to carry her out by her arms.

Even though there were so many injuries — and serious ones at that — the medical team was more than skilled enough to handle it, and Fury was pleased overall with how it went.

It was a weight off his shoulders to not only have Bobbi out of Viper's den but to have Viper herself to interrogate. He had half a mind to use the same techniques on her that she'd used on Logan — after he'd found out all of her Hydra secrets, of course. Most pressing of course was to find out how Hydra operates when their head is missing.

Fury left Viper restrained and had her locked in a side room of his office. Nothing was in the room, and the only way in or out was through the door that led to his office. No windows. No other escape — and Mac was more than willing to stand guard to keep the snake hidden away.

One thing they didn't have at the bunkhouses was a prison — but as soon as Fury had his intel, he'd send her to Hill at the Triskellion anyhow. Viper was _not_ welcome in Seven, and he fully intended to have her out of there before anyone got upset about it.


	31. Recovering from Trauma Isn't Easy

**Chapter 31: Recovering From Trauma Isn't Easy**

* * *

 _January 19_

 _District Seven_

* * *

As soon as Bobbi was out of the sedation enough to realize she was under its influence at all, she started to move what she could, trying to gauge how out she was and how fast she could get it back. "This one's no good," she halfway mumbled. "Too fuzzy-headed to think for questions."

"I'm afraid that questioning in that manner was never the intention, my dear," Charles said kindly.

Bobbi paused for a moment, frowned, and then turned her head Charles way. She watched the older victor for a good long moment before she let out a long breath. "Tell me what happened," she asked, still a little guarded in her tone.

"You were shot," he said simply. "And brought back to our new base. No one on our side was killed." He put a hand out when she looked like she might try to sit upright. "You should stay down for now. I'm sure that wound is going to pull."

It was clear she was trying to sort out what had happened and blow past the effects of the sedation before she glanced his way. "Steve ... did you get the antidote? It's a newer poison, a hybrid of what I've sent you before ... I'm sure Simmons can whip it up…."

"She put him on dialysis to clear his system and to test the chemical makeup of whatever it was, but he's fine."

Bobbi leaned back, relieved to hear it, and closed her eyes. "What about the rest of the team?"

Charles drew in a breath. "They are all fine. Minor injuries, mostly. Kurt managed to get a wound on his arm, and Kate found a way to bang her head … no one is in any danger of dying."

"And Viper?" she asked carefully.

"Is here, being questioned by Director Fury."

Bobbi nodded at that once more, thinking it over before it seemed that something hitched around her shoulders... and she started to quietly cry. And it didn't look like something she could stop.

Charles crossed the room to sit on the edge of her bed and simply wrapped her up in a hug, and she leaned into him, her whole body language screaming pure exhaustion. He knew that she couldn't possibly be alright after everything that she'd been through — and the road ahead was going to be long. But he also knew she likely hadn't been _able_ to cry, and she needed to be able to get it out.

"Hey, uh, you know, if you wanted a shoulder, I'd've come sooner," Clint said from the doorway, haltingly, some time later.

Bobbi glanced up at Clint and smiled the slightest bit his way. "This wasn't exactly what I had planned for my morning," she said.

"Far as I'm concerned, you can do whatever you want," Clint said. "Got nobody telling you what to do from here on out, so... you wanna use Charlie here as a pillow, have at it." She rolled her eyes at him and motioned him over, and Clint almost effortlessly slid in to where Charles had been to wrap her up in a warm hug. "Welcome back."

"It's good to be back," she said, leaning into his hug for a good long while before she finally picked her head up and looked around the room. "Didn't you say there were a few others?" she asked Charles' way. "Where's the rest of medical?"

"They're … in the main part of the medical bay."

"You separated me," Bobbi surmised, her tone rather dull.

"They kinda thought it was best," Clint replied. "All things considered."

"Because … what, there's the possibility I've been compromised?"

"No," he said, shifting a little awkwardly. "There are a few people holding a grudge."

At that, Bobbi let out a long breath. "Right," she said, sounding suddenly very tired.

"I'm sure they'll get over it," Clint said with a little smirk.

"Not everyone is as forgiving as you are, Clint," she said with a little smile.

"Hey. The effects all wore off on everyone that got some of that stuff. They just need to see you being _you_ and not acting like you enjoyed hanging out with Viper."

" _No one_ enjoys hanging out with that woman," Bobbi said. "Anyone who did is dead."

"See? Keep talking like that and they'll come around quick enough."

She laughed gently and rested her forehead on his shoulder. "Not everything is forgivable," she said in a soft whisper. "It's one thing… well... I wouldn't blame Logan if he never spoke to me again. I didn't do a good job looking out for him like I did the others Hydra managed to get their hands on."

"Come on, Bobbi; he knows you were keeping cover," Clint said in an almost teasing tone. "He's a pro. He'll be fine."

"He'll work with me if he has to," Bobbi agreed. "He is a professional. He didn't blow my cover to Viper, even after I was put in charge of his programming. That's not… something I can make up to him. At least I hope I'm never in a position to do that."

She could actually feel Clint stiffen in the embrace. "You did what?"

"Didn't you know?" She picked her head up to look at him better. "How else do you think I was able to give Fury the exact details?"

"And you didn't think maybe it was time to cut and run?" Clint asked, looking totally gobsmacked. "Like, I don't know, press a panic button or something before you went that _far_? Bob, I knew you were involved, but _running_ it?"

"If I could have gotten us both out, don't you think I would have?" she shot back with some serious heat.

"There's nothing wrong with calling for help, Bob."

"Do you have _any_ idea how closely Von Strucker was watching? I _couldn't_!"

"Right. Just like you _couldn't_ stop any of the other crap that went down with Hydra," Clint shot back.

"This isn't exactly how this is meant to go," Charles interrupted.

"No, no, let him finish telling me how I should have done my job," Bobbi said heatedly. "I really want to hear more about how horrible Hydra was. I had _no_ idea."

"No, you don't," Clint shot back. "You were just the one holding the needles — you didn't have to bat cleanup with the rest of us. Do you have any idea how long it took us to get Logan even halfway back — just to stop having to tie him down? Let alone … Bobbi, the guy's got a ring burned into his skin…." He shook his head. "You could have called."

"Mr. Barton," Charles said with some real force to his voice. "That's enough."

Clint got to his feet and shook his head. "Yeah, it really is," he muttered. "Just tell me something, Bob — if it was me, would you have done it?"

"I had to keep my cover."

Clint stared at her for a while, at the edge of the room where the door was, before his expression shifted from angry to just… sad. "Yeah, okay," he said before he almost slammed the door on the way out.

"He'll come around," Charles said with a sigh. "Very few people know what happened, and Logan is notoriously difficult to get to say anything."

"I don't know that that's helpful," Bobbi said, staring at the door before she leaned back again.

"It should be though," Charles said. "It means that it's not common knowledge. It should help you be able to reintegrate with the others."

"Charles, if there's one thing I know ... it's that secrets come to light," Bobbi said in a tired tone.

"Yes, but the question arises: is it your secret to tell?"

She let out a little breath. "Maybe not," she admitted.

"Right now, we should be focusing on making sure you're alright," Charles said. "And I'm sure now that you're awake, Director Fury will be by too."

"Now that I can do," she said, leaning back into the pillows, with just enough sedation in her system that she was able to go back to sleep.

She didn't have too terribly long to wait, and within the hour, Fury made his appearance, gently closing the door behind him as he made his way over to her. "How are you doing now that you're back on your feet, more or less?"

She raised her eyebrows and gestured at the hospital bed. "Peachy."

"Glad to hear it," he replied as he sat down. "I don't think there's much reason to debrief, unless there's more you have to tell me that you haven't already."

"Most of it's out the window with the Skull gone," she agreed. "You have more intel on Viper and Strucker than him anyway, considering my access."

"And she's not too willing to share yet," he said, nodding once. "Then I guess that's all there is to it for now. That... and I felt the need to inform you that you're off any mission work for the foreseeable future."

She sat bolt upright at that, ignoring the warning Charles had given her earlier. "Look, I know my face is recognizable, but I can go in with an inducer or something—"

"It's not just that," Fury said, shaking his head and sounding perfectly calm. "You overdid it, Bobbi. I would have prefered it if you'd come out a lot sooner, and the fact is," he said as he leaned forward, "had our teams not been there to go after the Skull, you still wouldn't have found a way to _ask_ for the removal, would you?"

"They've got a new toy, something that blocks transmissions."

"And you are a clever girl that could have slipped loose and gotten well away from it before you hit the button."

"Better if I hit it at the base to give you their location," she argued.

"You could have done that pointing at a map," he replied. "The fact remains. You don't know when it's time to quit." He shook his head and raised one hand before she could argue. "It is not exclusively a problem for you. In fact, I'm pretty sure _all_ the victors have the same brain damage."

She shook her head at that. "Then don't send me undercover," she said.

"You need a break," Fury insisted. "Time to recharge. Clear your head of everything and try to put this mess with Viper behind you. That's not going to happen if you're still in the fight."

"The fight's not over," she argued.

"And you're not going to see the other side of it if you don't _stop_." He sounded perfectly calm and patient. "This isn't up for negotiation."

"Nick…"

"If you need to recharge away from the group, let me know," he said as he got to his feet. "I'm glad you're out of there, but I'd like to see you _back_."

"I am. I'm _fine_." She glared at him with her arms crossed.

"Tell me that _after_ you've spent some time with the others."

"I've already talked to Clint."

" _Not discussing it_ ," Fury insisted.

She looked like she might keep arguing, but finally, she leaned back and closed her eyes.

"I'll have Hunter around in the next day or so to show you around," Fury told her.

"Hunter's here?" she asked.

"He's been running missions with some of the Tahiti kids," Fury admitted. "He's good. Not great, but good."

"I could take him out on a few missions. Get him better," she offered, still trying to find a way to get field work.

"He trained under Hartley; he doesn't need another coach right now." He gave her a little smirk. "He joined up after he saw you with Viper. He was insistent."

Bobbi couldn't help the little smile on hearing that. "Well at least _someone_ didn't believe I was evil," she muttered.

"You're going to have an uphill battle with that," Fury told her. "Too many appearances with _Lady Hydra_ and that whole fiasco with Essex …"

"I know," she said quietly.

"Then I don't have to tell you who you'll be having more trouble with," he replied.

"The entirety of the program knows what I did with that fiasco with Essex, sir," she said. "And half or better know about the leadup with Viper in Twelve."

"But they don't know the rest of it," Fury said.

"I found that out myself," she said.

"Barton?"

She nodded tiredly.

"Well … then I guess just hope he doesn't let that one spill," Fury replied. "We didn't tell anyone who didn't need to know what was going on with Logan or that marriage."

"It really doesn't matter, Nick," she said, looking even more tired than she had before.

"You don't think so?" he challenged.

She let out a hollow laugh. "I can't even keep the guy I dated on my side; what makes you think anyone else is going to be forgiving?"

"You'd be surprised," Fury replied. "But for now, just _rest._ "

She leaned back into the pillows and let out all her breath with a half whispered out 'fine'.

* * *

When Kate found Clint, it looked like he'd gone through two quivers worth of arrows on various paper targets painted on the trees. He wasn't making trick shots or even two at a time, just… methodically shooting one after the other until it was just a good rhythm.

"Clint?"

He paused in his shooting and turned her way, then seemed to relax when he saw who it was. "Hey, Katie Kate. What're you doing out here and not looking over your Elf in medical?"

"He's asleep," she said with a wave. "And I saw you…. Are you alright?"

He took in a breath that seemed to move his whole body with it. "Oh yeah. I'm always fine."

"Clint."

"I'm fine, Katie. I don't know what else to tell you," he said, a little more insistent this time.

"Clint." She leaned against the nearest tree, arms crossed.

He lowered his bow and shrugged her way. "I really don't know what to tell you, Katie. It's not my problem."

"Right. Which is why you're out here making sure the trees are good and dead. If we ever have an arboreal invasion, we're set," she said, still not moving.

He smirked. "Arboreal invasion?"

"Yeah, I'm sure it's an issue out here in District Seven."

"Oh yeah. People made of trees. The whole nine," Clint said, his smirk widening.

"Seriously, Clint—"

"Kate, just… don't," he said, crossing the span to start pulling arrows out of trees. "Nothing you can do about it, so just… don't."

She watched him for a long moment before she shook her head and rushed over to him to wrap him up in a hug.

* * *

 _January 21_

 _District Seven_

* * *

"So you don't drink all of a sudden?" Hunter asked as he stepped into Bobbi's doorway, gesturing to the bottle of wine he'd sent as a 'welcome back' present. "That was always your go-to way to cope."

"It didn't have a note," she explained simply.

"And you spent enough time with Viper to be paranoid that the good guys would poison you? That's not a good sign."

She let out her breath and shook her head at him. "Not everyone here thinks I… to a lot of people, I'm still Hydra."

"And you think they'd be that subversive? Come on, Bob."

"If it was you, would you take the chance?" she asked with one eyebrow raised.

"With this lot? Yeah, if I was lookin' like you are right now," he teased.

"Well, they had to fish a bullet out of me, Hunter. How am I supposed to look?"

He shrugged with a little smile. "I dunno … not so much of a sour puss, anyhow. You _are_ on the good meds. I checked the chart."

"I actually have a pretty high tolerance to the good meds," she said dryly.

"Then we need to adjust that then, don't we?" he asked as he crossed the room to have a seat at the foot of her bed.

"Fury already took me off of missions, so the chances of me getting hit and needing the good meds again are low anyway," she said with a wave of her hand, looking more than a little frustrated about it.

"Want me to hit you?" he asked, almost looking serious.

"Please don't," she said, a small smirk creasing her features.

"Want me to hit the doc? Work 'em over until they break out the _really_ good stuff?"

"No," she said flatly, the smirk gone.

"Well, can't blame me for asking," he said.

"Hunter, really," she said, shaking her head. "I don't need a drink, and I don't need more pain meds. I just need to be healed up so I can get back to _normal_."

"Agreed," he decided. "So what do you need from me to do that?"

She laughed. "Unless you've got a medical degree I don't know about — and I doubt it — I don't think there's much you can do."

"Well," he said, with a little shrug, "until I can forge one, why don't you try a bit of fresh air with me?"

She chuckled as she slid her legs around to stand. "No one would believe the forgery."

"Excuse you; I can be very doctorly. I have an _excellent_ bedside manner."

"You encourage drug addiction and booze."

He goggled at her as he offered her his arm. "I only want to be sure my patients are free of _pain_. How is that bad?"

She shook her head at him. "Alright, so tell me the names of a few drugs that _aren't_ morphine and I'll tell you if I believe your doctor act."

"There's … the … blue one … and the one with the yellow label. Those both seem to be good."

"Marvelous," she said, laughing despite herself. "I'm sure no one will see through your brilliant disguise."

"I'm a handsome doctor with a lovely accent; they'll be too enamored to care."

She had to laugh again as the two of them hit the rest of the medical wing, though it died almost immediately when she saw that Logan was there visiting Kurt as the younger boy was getting his stitches seen to. Logan glared her way for a moment but refused to look away or move until she moved on, so she was the one to drop his gaze and push Hunter a little faster out to where the fresh air was.

She glanced around once they were out, and her expression fell even further. "Seven," she whispered.

"Yeah, Director Fury said it was the safest spot away from Hydra, especially since they haven't been exactly SHIELD-friendly either. Not entirely anyway."

"Take me back inside," she said quietly, her eyes closed for just a moment.

"We just got out here," he replied.

" _Hunter_."

"Well you don't want to go back to medical, do you?"

"I don't want to go anywhere, Hunter. I just… shouldn't be out in the open here. Not after what happened with Logan."

"What? That little glare? That's not much worse than when he hasn't had his coffee yet. Come on, Bob."

"No, the part where I was Viper's right hand and helped to turn Logan's mind inside out," Bobbi told him frankly, without looking his way. "I doubt his friends are going to forget it either, even if they don't know the details."

He stopped in his tracks and blinked a few times. "I don't think his friends even know all the details," Hunter said. "At all. Not if how they talked on mission was anything to go by. They're mad, yeah, but not _that_ … Besides ... you had to keep your cover, right? It wasn't personal, I'm sure."

She seemed to relax substantially into him and gently shook her head. "Of course it wasn't."

"Then don't worry about it," he said. "You and Jess were the first ones to try and keep an eye on him. That has to count for something. The other victors will back you up. They always do." He paused and frowned slightly. "It's kind of like an odd little cult, really. The lot of you."

She shook her head at him with the beginnings of a smile. "And what does that make you?"

"Smart enough to see what the little cult is and ready to yank you away from them before you do something stupid during a comet or whatever."

"I promise: no human sacrifices," she had to laugh.

"Good enough for me," he said with a shrug. "How about a bite to eat? You're all … pale. And you've got circles under your eyes. If you weren't so pretty, I'd have to tell you how awful you look."

"If it's all the same to you, I don't think I'm up to the mess hall," she said with a little smirk, honestly enjoying Hunter's view of things. It was nice to be around someone who wasn't connected to everything that she'd been doing in Hydra… and she hadn't realized until then how badly she needed someone around who _wasn't_ SHIELD or Hydra.

"Then how about a private cabin with room service instead? Tell me whatever you'd like to eat, and I'll go pick up what I am sure is nothing like it in the mess for you."

She laughed at that. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

"Aren't I always?"

"Well… you were, yeah," she said with a shrug. "And then I joined Hydra, remember?"

"You didn't _join_ Hydra," he argued. "You went undercover with a snake."

"A snake who's currently the head of Hydra," Bobbi pointed out.

"Well that's … ugly." He turned to her looking perfectly serious. "Just tell me you didn't have any hair braiding parties with her and we'll be just fine."

"She wasn't that warm," Bobbi said with a smirk and a shrug. "And didn't like to be touched if she didn't have to be. There were no sleepovers." She paused. "Well... none unless there were poisons involved."

"She didn't seem the warm cuddly type," he agreed, one eyebrow raised.

She nodded before she just shook her head as if she was trying to clear the memory away. "You said something about a private cabin."

"There are about a dozen of them," he said. "I got one just because … well. I wasn't one of _them_."

"Fury said you were going on missions with them," Bobbi said.

"Doesn't mean they quite want to invite me to _their_ hair braiding parties. Tolerate me for the mission, sure."

"That doesn't sound like the kids I knew," Bobbi said with a small frown.

"They've all been through it," Hunter replied. "They're tight. And to be honest, they're scared to trust anyone outside the group."

"It sounds like I've missed so much," she said as she let him lead her toward wherever his cabin was.

"Make yourself comfortable," he said when he let her inside. "I'll grab a bite or two and bring it back for you." He paused at the door before he left. "And if you don't want me around, I'll leave the cabin to you and go bunk with the kids."

"Unless you're planning on yelling at me or giving me the death glare, I think you're fine to stay," she said with a shrug. "It's your place, after all."

He gave her a smile before he slipped out into the cold, leaving her to get settled in.

* * *

 _January 23_

 _District Seven_

* * *

Bobbi knew where everything was, generally, after a couple days, and she knew it was probably a good idea to at least try to start reintegrating. Charles wanted her to try, and she still remembered what Clint had said about how good it would be for them to see her acting normally.

Besides, she had honestly missed these kids.

She made her way down to breakfast that morning in the mess hall cautiously and wasn't surprised to see the same early risers that had always been the first down after a morning workout ... Bruce, Wade… Steve was there, and so was Logan, though she didn't catch Logan's gaze at all as she went to the coffee machine.

"What're you doing, Bob?"

She startled a bit at the voice and turned Clint's way. He wasn't angry, just honestly curious, and she realized he'd caught her running her finger over the lip of her coffee cup to check for any residue. "Just checking," she said.

He raised his eyebrows at her, then shook his head before he borrowed her coffee for a couple sips and handed it back. "Seems fine to me."

"I'm sure it is, just… old habit," she said.

Clint raised an eyebrow her way and then shrugged, and the two of them filled up plates in silence before they found seats in the mess hall. He seemed to be thinking something over, so she just looked around — somehow not at all surprised to see that Logan had disappeared entirely.

"So," Clint said suddenly. "I meant to apologize."

She turned his way, surprised. "Oh?"

"Yeah, I shouldn't've yelled at you," he said, speaking more to his food than to her. "Can't imagine it's easy to get back from all that crap with Hydra and then have to deal with… yeah."

"It's fine."

"It's not, but you're gonna be stubborn about it, so just ... take the apology," he grumbled, falling silent once more.

Bobbi let out her breath, focused just on filling her stomach for the time being. Though it didn't escape Clint's notice that every time the door opened to admit someone, Bobbi's head came up. And considering how many kids and victors there were in the program…

"You're gonna give yourself a headache," he teased.

"Just … old habits," she replied with a weak smile.

"Yeah, I guess living with the snake would do that," Clint had to admit.

"You have no idea," she muttered.

He paused and looked like he might put a hand on her arm but thought better of it. "Yeah, took us a while to get Logan to stop with the… jumpy crap," he said with a little nod. "And Nat took a couple weeks before she stopped treating everything like a death threat."

"Right." She took in a deep breath. "Actually, I think I'm set," she said as she picked up her mostly empty tray. She dropped it off on her way out and very nearly ran into Kate — who was, as usual, the last down to breakfast.

Kate broke into a smile when she saw her old trainer. "Hey. Heard you were back," she said.

"That's what they tell me," Bobbi said.

Kate nodded, then looked past Bobbi to where Kurt and Kitty were chatting over their breakfast. "You're not sticking around?" she asked.

Bobbi paused. "I… don't think so, no," she said slowly.

Kate frowned a bit, her head tipped to the side, before she let out her breath. "Well, if you feel like … I don't know. Are you clear to spar again?"

"I think so?" Bobbi said. Fury hadn't said anything about sparring, just missions, after all…

"Well… just… see you around," Kate said, scooting around Bobbi to join Kurt and Kitty as Bobbi frowned after her.

Bobbi shouldered her way out of the mess hall and made her way down to where Fury was set up, her arms wrapped around her middle as she tried to calm down. The military setting, even in the bunkhouses, along with the SHIELD uniforms and the familiar faces, so many of which had been on screens or readouts as targets… It was harder than she thought it would be to _not_ switch into her default persona as part of Hydra, and it had her panicked.

But she felt a little better getting fresh air _alone_. So by the time she got to Fury, she sounded a little less upset than she felt as she said, "I think it would be better for everyone involved if I went somewhere else."

Fury frowned at her for a moment before he nodded. "Temporary basis to start," he replied. "Unless you decide you're done — but I'm not expecting a permanent decision anytime soon."

"I don't have an answer on that," she admitted. "But you were right ... I don't think I can stay here."

"I was planning to send Xavier to the Triskellion for a while. If you're in a rush, you can go with him."

"I think I will," she said with a little nod. "I don't like waiting around anyway."

"I understand entirely," Fury said before he tipped his head toward a door to his left. "Any parting shots to your former mentor you need to attend to?"

"You're not going to let me actually shoot her yet, are you?" she asked, sounding a bit put out.

"No," he said, shaking his head. "There is plenty we can learn from her still, and Hill and I have decided the best way to discredit any momentum Hydra had going would be to try her in court. Publicly. We'll need her alive to face her crimes."

"That would certainly be different from what the Capitol did," Bobbi agreed. She glanced toward the door and shook her head. "It's tempting… but I'll pass. I'll see her at the trial, I'm sure, and if it's all the same to you, I'm done dealing with her."

He nodded. "I don't blame you one bit," he agreed. "Flight leaves in two hours. Keep in touch."

* * *

Clint hadn't seen Bobbi for the rest of the day, but when he got to his room, he _was_ surprised to find a note waiting for him in Bobbi's practiced script.

 _Clint,_

 _I'm going to the Triskellion. I don't know how long I'll be there or if I'm coming back. I'll be with Charles Xavier. Turns out you were right; it isn't easy to recover from Hydra._

 _Take care of yourself. If you need me, you know where to find me._

 _Love,_

 _Bobbi_

He glared down at the note for a while, just… staring at her perfect handwriting before he let out a sigh that became a curse halfway through it. She was gone. Again.


	32. To Catch a Thief

**Chapter 32: To Catch a Thief**

* * *

 _January 24_

 _District Seven_

* * *

With Bobbi with Hunter in the Capitol, healing, Fury had other matters to attend to that were a bit more pressing to the success of their endeavor to dismantle Hydra.

It was no secret that Logan was again retreating from pretty much everyone, and when Fury called for the young man to join him in his office — this time with Tripp keeping guard over Viper's door, which had been soundproofed — he was in a foul mood.

Fury didn't say much to start with as he dropped a stack of files on the desk in front of the young man. "Take your time. Look them over and pick your team," Fury instructed.

"I thought Weapon X was dead," Logan replied with a frown - not yet touching the files.

"It is," Fury replied as he leaned back. "This is a little bit different. A little more forgiving and a lot more open. No black masks and hidden identities. You'll still be operating mostly in the dark with no warning to the other side, but … not as much of a focus on body count."

Logan let out a heavy sigh and started to look at the names on the folders. It was more or less everyone in Tahiti and all the victors that were still working with Fury. "How many?"

"Whatever you think you need, but I don't want you to go too big. I have a few stipulations."

Logan looked up at him and started to narrow it down in his head. "I'd like to talk to them instead of just assigning people."

"If that's what you think is best," Fury agreed. "But get it done quickly. I know training with them is going to fill your day up once we figure in all the _teaching_ you're doing on top of things."

Logan gave him a dry look but shook his head and went back to the files. "I'll have to get back to you."

"You have two days."

With that, Logan handed the files back and slipped out of the door. He had some people to approach, and he wasn't exactly on great terms with all of them. But he did know where to start, at least.

When he got to the training building, Kurt was chatting with Kate, looking far too involved already, but as Fury said he was on a clock, Logan didn't feel too bad calling out for the two of them to take a breather. "Hey Elf! Give 'er a chance. I need a sec."

"Joykill!" Kate called out to him with a teasing grin even as they both made their way over.

"You can have him back," Logan said. "I just need to ask him a quick question."

"If you're asking if he'll be best man, you have to get rid of the first wife first," Kate teased.

"Yeah, no kidding. Not where I was headed," Logan replied dryly.

Kurt chuckled at the two of them before he rested his arm around Logan's shoulders. "What do you need?" he asked with a smile.

"I'm startin' a new team," he said simply. "Not as heavy as Weapon X. No black masks. And lower body count. Nothin' but surgical strikes."

Kurt seemed to pause as he thought about it. "Not like Weapon X?" he repeated. When Logan nodded, he bit his lip and then started to nod. "You know you've got me for whatever you need."

"The idea is no collateral damage. Thought you might like that."

Kurt grinned. "Yes, that sounds like me."

"Great. I'll let Fury know," Logan said before he turned to head off to find his next pick. "Carry on," Logan called over his shoulder with a wave, knowing Kate was ready to strike.

She rolled her eyes at him as she did just that, snaking one arm around Kurt's waist. "What, you starting a boys club without me?"

"Nope," Logan replied.

She stuck her tongue out at him. "C'mon, Logan. I want in."

"I dunno," he said. "You could be a liability."

" _Me_? Excuse you."

"This is all close quarters," he said. "Not sure if you'll be able to see that close up."

"That is _not_ how hawkeyes work!" she shouted at him.

He gave her a little smirk and stepped up to where Betsy and Wade were sparring to quietly get their attention. "You two always fight together?" he asked.

"When Kart is too wrapped up in each other, yeah!" Wade said cheerfully.

"There aren't many people here to spar with a katana," Betsy replied, shaking her head at Wade.

"Still. Good to see you two gettin' along," Logan said before he started to explain the new team to them. He was only two or three lines into his pitch before Wade was already nodding in agreement. When he was done talking, he turned to Betsy to wait for her answer — and the inevitable backlash when Kate saw her nod.

"Oh _come on_ ," Kate called out.

"What?" Logan asked, both arms out.

"You know I'm not _just_ a bow and a pair of pretty legs, right?"

"Really?" Logan replied, his brow furrowed as if it was news just because he hadn't seen her this irritated in a _long,_ long time. "Ya know, Betts' has purple hair too, and I'm pretty sure you told me I needed more purple in my life."

"You know that's not what I meant, you moron."

Logan shrugged. "Coulda fooled me," he said before he looked to the other three. "See you tomorrow at noon in Fury's office. Kate," he said, turning her way. "I'll get back to you."

"Well now I'm just gonna have to say no on principle," she said, her nose in the air. "I don't play _second choice_."

"Good," he replied with a wide grin. "Makes it easier when I don't have to act like I thought about it."

"I hate you so much."

Kurt laughed and wrapped both arms around her to kiss her. "Tell you what, _liebchen_. If we need a sniper, you are our first choice," he whispered in her ear.

"You've got Wade," she grumbled.

"Kate." He chuckled and shook his head at her and then started to gently kiss her until she dropped it purely because of his good argument.

* * *

 _January 25_

 _Fury's Office_

* * *

"Any idea what this meeting is about, anyway?" Scott asked Skye as the two of them made their way to Fury's office.

"As a matter of fact, I do," she replied. "It's a new team, and you, my friend, have been chosen."

Scott turned her way with his eyebrows high. "For what?"

"I'm not entirely sure what the positions are," she admitted. "It sounded kind of fluid, to be honest. But it's not supposed to be as _bloody_ as Weapon X was. They're going for surgical precision. No collateral damage."

"I can get behind that," Scott said with a nod.

"I thought you might like that," she said with a smile his way. "You'll be with me to start out," she explained as he held the door to the building open for her. "And after that ... um. I guess that's up to you."

"Well, I guess that depends on what we're doing," he said, though he paused as he followed her in, a bit surprised at the makeup of the team he saw in the office.

"Looks like we can finally get started," Fury said. "Take a seat, Mr. Summers."

After Scott sat down quietly, Fury looked around the group, not going on to explain the makeup of them as he dove into the mission. "This is going to act as a trial run, simply to see if you all can work together well. It's not that complicated of a job either. No kills. At all." He looked at each of them in turn before continuing.

"AD Hill has discovered a thief — or an attempted one at that. He's been trying to get into the Triskellion. Specifically the research and development division. Rumors that _we_ started have been flying hot and heavy through the Capitol that there is an invention there that would be a game changer. The intention was to draw out Hydra, but instead …" He turned to Skye, who put an image up on the wall of none other than Remy LeBeau. "We got us a swamp rat infestation. _Catch_ him."

"Just catch?" Betsy asked in a tone that was unfamiliar to most of them.

"Just catch," Fury said. "If he gets banged up a little on the way to interrogation, I can't help that."

She nodded once and leaned back with her arms folded. She hadn't seen Remy since the incident with Essex, and it was clear to everyone there that she hadn't forgotten it.

"So, where are we going?" Kurt asked, half an eye on Betsy.

"To the Capitol," Fury replied. "I have positions for all of you to work from. Logan, Wagner, and Wilson: I'm sure you're all familiar with the positions you ran with Weapon X, and those will not change for now. For those of you _not_ in the know, Logan will be on point, Wilson is slack, and Wagner is running flank. Braddock, you're in for extra help removing threats on flank; and Summers, Agent Skye will be teaching you how to keep them in the loop. That too may change. Do as well as I expect you to and you'll be more than just the radio man."

The kids glanced at each other, and seeing as none of them seemed to have any objections, Wade broke into a huge giggle. "This is _so exciting_ , you guys!" he declared, throwing an arm around Scott's shoulders to pull him in so he could kiss the side of his head. "Welcome to the team!"

Scott tried to duck out of the hug. "Can you not do that, please?"

"Be thankful it's the side of your face," Logan said. "Some of us weren't so lucky."

"Yeah, some of them only got forehead kisses," Wade said. "Now, my stabby brother, on the other hand…"

"When do we leave, Nick?" Logan asked, cutting Wade off.

"You have a few hours," Fury said. "I want you all to be at the checkpoints before dark. He won't make a move until after hours, but I don't want him to see you getting settled in either."

"Don't worry; he won't," Betsy said simply.

"There are new uniforms are waiting for you — should help you to blend in better than straight black," Fury said, dismissing them.

"They're from The Line," Skye told Logan with a crooked grin as she threw an arm around his shoulders.

"Oh, great," he grumbled. "Are you the one to approve them?"

"Hey, don't knock the choice until you see what they came up with. It's actually excellent."

"So that's a yes?"

"It's a yes, and it was a good choice, and have some faith in your girlfriend, wouldja?" she laughed.

"Director in training," he teased.

"Got enough box tops to get that spot, yeah."

"Took the shortcut and just blackmailed him, didn't you?"

"If I did, you'll never know," she teased.

"You gonna hand them out, or is it self-explanatory?" Logan asked.

"The really short one is yours," she said with a crooked grin.

"Yeah, I guessed as much," he chuckled.

She grinned, pressed a kiss to his cheek, and showed the others which ones were theirs. And really, Noh and Jubilee had done excellent work. They were shadowy with black and gunmetal gray, and clearly, they'd been fitted to each of the team members.

"Are you kiddin' me?" Logan asked, looking at the familiar design.

"I have been informed I must remind you that part of the deal if you won was that Jubilee got to design for you … forever."

"Don't you like the design?" Kurt asked with an impish grin. "I think it looks flattering on me."

"You don't have tiger stripes."

"True," Kurt said, still grinning. "But they suit you, _mein Freund_."

"If you say so," he muttered, though it was Wade that really set the tone.

"So _form-fitting_ ," he said twirling to look at himself over his own shoulder. "I _like it_!" He giggled and made his way over to Scott. "I mean, it leaves _nothing_ to the imagination!"

"Maybe you put on a little since they measured and they didn't mean to make it so tight," Scott said with a shrug.

"No, they did," Logan grumbled. "Unless they made the same mistake across the board."

"It's not bad," Betsy said, looking over her own design. "And it breathes well. I can move in it just fine."

There was a flash, and the group of them looked up to see Peter grinning on the other side of a camera as Kate had her tongue between her teeth looking Kurt over. "Oh, look, Peter. Such cute secret operatives. What are _they_ doing exactly where Fury told us to look for them?"

"What're you doin'?" Logan asked. "Nick neglected to mention shutterbugs bein' a problem."

Peter grinned. "Hey, I'll have you know the name Peter Parker will be known all over Marvel as the best photographer in the country," he said, drawing himself up. "And besides, we all sorta… disappeared? So it's good to show we're not all, you know. Dead."

"So he didn't bother to tell us we need pictures," Logan said dryly. "Didn't know this was a PR move."

"Last time I saw you in front of a camera you turned into Grumpy Logan," Kate pointed out as she wrapped Kurt up in a hug. "I like the new look. A _lot_."

"I do too," Kurt replied with a grin that turned into a little laugh as Peter snapped a picture of the two of them.

"Ju-u-u-ust practicing for later," Peter said, tapping the side of his nose. "For the big 'I do's and all that."

A moment later, Jubilee and Noh swept in grinning, though she stopped in front of Scott. "Oh. You're not getting out of it just because you're not in the field yet."

"I'm not?" he asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Of course not! You need to show you're part of the team — so suit up," Jubilee replied, hands on her hips.

"I'm just going to be sitting with Skye…"

"Who also needs to suit up," Noh supplied. "There are pictures to be taken, after all."

Skye shook her head. "This is what happens when you hire the Line," she chuckled to herself.

"This is what happens when you want to be director," Logan teased over her shoulder.

"Help me into it?" she shot back with a grin.

"Hell yeah, I will," he replied, though Jubilee was quick to intervene.

"Excuse me. _No_ ," she said. "Pictures, remember? That means no one needs _that_ kind of hair. Thank you."

"Spoilsport," Skye teased good-naturedly as she slipped off to quickly change — and Scott did the same, ducking Jubilee to avoid the persistent "part of the team" encouragement.

Once the two of them were off changing, the stylists turned their sights on the rest of them. "You _will_ look nice for your pictures," Jubilee half threatened them. "All of you."

"This is why Fury briefed us so long before the mission, isn't it?" Betsy said, shaking her head.

"Apparently," Logan agreed before the two of them took almost identical poses — arms crossed and half glaring.

"I promise I'll only take flattering pictures," Peter all but sang out.

"I get why he's here?" Wade said. "But why isn't Kate in uniform too?"

"Right?" Kate said, shaking her head. "You're going out _Hawkeye-less,_ and this is a _crime_."

"Trial run," Logan said. "We have all the firepower we should need."

"If you get my fiance hurt because you didn't have a good sniper, I'm going to hold it over your head."

"We've got two good snipers," Wade said. "No worries."

"Wade, don't take his side when I'm threatening him," Kate said in a falsely tired tone.

"I'm just sayin' …"

"She just wants to be able to use the word 'fiance' as often as she can," Kurt teased, pulling Kate a little tighter.

"It's too late now anyhow," Logan said. "We don't have a _uniform_ for her."

"It's fine," Kate laughed. "You guys can play dress up."

"Fifty bucks says there's a gunmetal deal with cutouts waiting for her when we get back," Logan said to Betsy.

"I'm not taking that bet," Betsy replied. "Fifty says Noh just didn't bring it because there are some final touches he wants _perfect_ that are totally unnecessary for anyone else."

"I'm not takin' that either," Logan countered before Betsy started to smile.

When Scott and Skye came out, and the requisite teasing had run its course and gotten a solid blush out of both of them, Peter and Kate corralled them into pictures. But the moment Peter looked finished, half of them bolted for the jet, with the others quickly catching up to them.

Even with all that nonsense, they got into position hours ahead of time, with Scott and Skye in the jet, running intel to the team over the comm system. They'd just told Wade to knock it off with insisting on games to play when Kurt spotted the first flicker of their thief.

"He's still wearing a trenchcoat," Kurt said after he relayed exactly where Remy had appeared.

"Got him on camera yet, Slim?" Logan asked.

"Not yet," Scott said — though it was only about ten seconds later when he said, "Wait, just caught a flicker off your three o'clock."

"He knows where the cameras are, guys," Skye added. "Obviously."

"On it," Logan said, before the slight sound of gravel crunching echoed softly through his mic for a second. He headed toward where Scott had aimed him and was walking silently through the street when he had to ask, "I'm looking at two cameras. Are they both working?"

"I've only got one here," Scott said, the frown easy to hear even over the comms.

Logan turned when he saw a flash of something off to his right. "That wasn't a trenchcoat," he said at just over a whisper. "Got some green out here. He's not alone."

"Of course not," Betsy said, mostly under her breath.

"Orders were to not kill LeBeau," Logan clarified. "Hydra don't count as collateral damage."

"Agreed," Kurt said with a little nod as he took out his twin swords.

"Find the swamp rat and catch him first," Logan said. "If the rest of the snakes come out after that, do what you have to do to drag his sorry ass back." As he headed around the corner a few blocks from the Triskellion, he spotted the not-so-subtle group of Hydra starting to saturate the street. "Slim, Skye, check your cameras again. If these numbers are right, we have a small problem."

"I think you mean big problem," Skye replied.

"Looks smaller from way down here," he teased.

"That's cuz you're too short to see over their heads to the rest of the army," she teased right back.

"That's what I just said," he countered. "Why don't you two come on out and play? We could probably use the back up _before_ someone gets hurt."

"On our way," Scott promised as the two of them got out of the jet and made a rush for the team's position — and the huge group of Hydra that Logan had found.

"You work with swords much?" Logan asked Scott as he looked out at the crowd of Hydra.

"Sometimes," he said. "When Betsy or Kurt needs a partner badly enough."

"Great," Logan said, handing Scott the katana he was carrying. "Sharp end is for them. Technique doesn't matter right now."

"And I hold it from the end that's not sharp, right?" Scott said with a smirk.

Logan chuckled. "Hopefully, yeah."

When Scott nodded, Skye rolled up her sleeves to show Logan the edge of the gauntlets. "So we're all armed. Let's go screw with Hydra."

"Let's nail the rat first," Logan said. "We start the fight and LeBeau will be in the wind before the first green uniform hits the pavement."

"On it," Betsy's voice said over the comms.

"You have eyes on him?" Logan asked.

"Yeah, he's further out from you, not near any other Hydra — so you might be looking at the distraction force."

"I can't think of anyone better to take him out," Logan said with a nod. "Have fun, Betts. Let me know if you need backup."

"I doubt I will," she said as she pressed through the shadows noiselessly, following the nearly-as-invisible thief in her sights as he was clearly looking to disappear. He paused when she was about a few yards from her, and she did too. So when he finally did start up again, she didn't wait to spring forward, sword drawn as she very precisely stabbed him through the side where she knew it wouldn't be fatal — but it would hurt.

He looked surprised as she pulled her sword free and he sank down with one hand pressed to the new stab wound she'd left him — but it turned into almost a grin. "Whatchu go an' do that for, _cher_?" he asked.

"For selling us out," she shot back with a glare.

"Dat… dat is a good reason, _cher_ ," he said with a little nod, still holding his side and watching her, though he was still smiling at her, too.

"Come along peacefully or I'll stab you somewhere more important."

"Come on now, _mignon_ ," he said with a shaky laugh. "You good wit' dat sword. You mean to kill ol' Remy, you do it."

"No," she replied with a wicked smirk. "There are much more painful things I can take away."

Both of Remy's eyebrows shot up, and he winced theatrically. "Ain't gon' fight you, _cher_."

"How many Hydra soldiers did you bring along?" she asked. "So my team knows for sure."

But Remy let out a hollow sort of laugh. "Dey ain't wit' me," he said, something like a sneer on his face.

"Then if you're _good_ , I'll protect you on the way to the plane."

" _Cher,_ you know ol' Remy's real good," he said with a teasing twinkle in his eyes.

"Maybe _not_ for as quick as you turned us over and disappeared." She kept her sword raised. "I'm only sorry you missed the show when Logan showed up."

"Remy don' stay where he ain't wanted, _cher_ ," he told her with his head tipped to the side.

"Then you needed to check on that before you left." She tipped her chin up. "Move it."

* * *

As soon as they got the word from Betsy that Remy was in custody, the group simply went to work. It wasn't that they intended to pick a fight with Hydra — it was more that they'd gotten too close to the Triskellion, and getting Remy out of the picture hadn't stopped them in the least in their move closer.

So before the fight began in earnest, Scott radioed for back up from the Triskellion itself and then dove into the battle when Hill's response to the warning was 'destroy them'.

Scott rushed up to catch Logan before all hell broke loose and to relay the message with an added "I'll watch your back," and in all of three steps, the two of them were neck deep in it.

Skye had just knocked several soldiers flat with the gauntlets when she looked over her shoulder to see how the other two were doing … and had to let out a laugh when she saw that the two of them were working in near-perfect tandem, fighting anything that got in their way and watching each other's backs without a word spoken.

"Why am I the only one seeing this?" she said to herself for just a moment, almost having extreme trouble pulling herself from the show to get back to work herself.

"Something worth seeing, oh future director ma'am?" Wade sang out over the comms.

"Um, yeah!" she called back as soon as she blasted another two men away from her. "Your … um… chosen brother and Scott … it's kind of amazing, really."

"Oooh, are they doing _the thing_? In this universe? Finally?" Wade asked excitedly.

"What thing?" Skye asked, trying to not laugh at him, since that seemed to make it worse when he got on his tangents.

"Only the most beautiful, _beautiful_ in-synch…" Wade let out a little squeal.

"Yep! That's it," she said before she started to chuckle to herself. "They're not even talking."

"Well, that's the way it works," Wade said seriously before he broke into a girlish giggle. "I'm coming over! I wanna _see this_!"

"Yeah, probably a good idea," she said. "Looks like SHIELD is finally getting out of the Triskellion to handle this themselves. If you're going to catch this show, you'll need to hurry."

"Got it. Yes _ma'am_!" was the response with some serious enthusiasm as she could hear him huffing and puffing outright running to catch up to where they were — all but singing as he burst onto the scene a few minutes later with both katanas out.

"Kurt, you should probably come in too — don't get caught up in the mess; we need to get moving," Skye called out.

"I'm already heading your way," Kurt replied. "I think I want to see what this show is."

"It's _beautiful_ is what it is," Wade said, not even fighting but just standing with his hands clasped under his chin as Scott and Logan, still fighting back-to-back, plowed their way through the fight.

"It's not even that they're working together; it's that … they're switching positions when they need to," Skye said, shaking her head.

"How?" Kurt said. "They don't even spend that much time together!"

"You just gotta see it, man," Skye said, eyebrows raised. "I don't even know."

When Kurt did finally arrive, the show was more or less winding down, with Hill's forces coming to finish the job, though he did catch the two-man fighting team as they pushed through the last few and turned to Skye. "I… don't think I understand," he said with a faint smile.

"I am _so_ pulling these tapes for later," she said as they headed for the plane. "This needs investigation. And popcorn. I don't think they even realized they were doing it."

"No, no. It only works if they don't _try_ , silly Skye," Wade said ruffling her hair affectionately.

"How close are you to the plane?" Skye asked, looking for a check in from Scott and Logan. "I have Wade and Kurt; we're about three blocks out."

"We're probably a block behind you then," Scott replied. "Logan's with me; he lost his comm."

"Sounds about right," she said under her breath. "We'll start pre-flight."

When Scott and Logan caught up to them, they were both out of breath and bloodied, and they dropped into seats on opposite sides of the plane without a word spoken.

Wade bounded over to where the two of them were, a huge grin in place. "And thus begins a _beautiful_ teamup!" he declared, reaching over to ruffle Logan's hair the exact same way he'd done with Skye.

He'd barely touched him when Logan moved — and in an instant, Wade's arm was wrenched nearly to the breaking point behind his back without so much as a word of warning. And though Wade was already crying out for mercy, Logan looked positively furious, far more so than he had been moments ago.

"Logan!" Kurt called out, rushing over to his friend with a look of concern.

"Let him up, Logan," Scott said. "I'll talk to him."

Logan looked over at Scott, still furious. He needed just a minute to process it before he let go of Wade's arm and simply stepped back. "Don't touch me." He glared Wade's way for a moment then headed up to take over co-pilot.

Wade was grumbling under his breath and rubbing his arm as Scott pulled him by the other arm aside to tell him something low in his ear, which had him completely changing tack as his mouth parted in an 'o' of understanding.

"No touching the mutton chops, got it," he said, nodding with an entirely serious expression on his face.

The flight back was relatively quiet after that, with Skye piloting them back and the rest either tired out from the hard fight or, in Betsy's case, watching Remy to make sure he didn't try anything.

Simmons was waiting for them on landing, and she raised an eyebrow on seeing the injury that Remy had sustained but got to work on him all the same, shaking her head when she discovered that nothing major had been hit. "Such an odd place to stab someone," she commented. "It is singularly the least effective injury I've ever seen come in." She threw her hands up for a second. "I don't think you need more than just a few stitches."

"It all about placement, _petit_ ," Remy said with a weak smile her way.

"Well, it was near miraculous placement, honestly," she replied as she got to work on him. "Just a quick run through the scanner to make sure you didn't drag any tracers home with you … of course, the jet has a scrambler for that kind of thing, but we can't risk it, can we now?"

Remy shrugged as openly as he was able with the security restraints in place. "If you wanna search ol' Remy, you jes' need to ask, _petit_ ," he said with a grin.

"Oh!" she said with a very professional smile. "That's not my job! That's up to Agent May today. Good luck."

* * *

While Remy was being worked over in medical, the little team headed to Fury to debrief. Most of the relay was handled by Kurt, as Logan wasn't feeling very talkative after Wade had screwed with his head and Skye was very busy digging into something on her computer. It wasn't until Fury asked Logan outright why he was so quiet that Skye let out a little noise of triumph and turned the laptop for Fury to watch.

"On the Capitol security cameras; it caught almost the whole thing too," she said.

"Skye," Scott said, fixing her with a dry look.

"Shut up and watch it!" she told him. "This … it's kind of amazing. Really."

Scott shook his head and glanced at Logan as he sat back and the video feed played. "It's just a fight, Skye."

"You … No." She stared at him as if he was crazy. "He's worked with Kurt for _months,_ and they have to _talk_ to get this kind of support going."

"Skye… it's really not…" He shook his head.

"Yes it is," Fury said, but he watched for a moment longer before he added, "but I don't think you could do it again if you _tried._ "

"Right. It was an in-the-moment thing," Scott said, gesturing to Fury.

"Which means it could be that much better if you start practicing together," Fury replied, but even at that, Logan remained silent.

Scott glanced at his old mentor and slowly shook his head. "Team practices."

"And individual, pairs, all of it," Fury clarified.

"Fine."

"Skye, take Logan down to medical and send LeBeau down with his escort," Fury said. "The rest of you are free to break your stylists' hearts with what you did to those uniforms."

Skye slid her arm through Logan's with a nod, pulling him to his feet as she chuckled to herself on the way to the medical lodge, sure to tell May Fury wanted to see her and Remy as she took Logan to go see Simmons.

Simmons gave them both a grin as she waved at Remy, who looked a bit mortified at being remanded into May's care for the time being. "You didn't get yourself shot, did you?" she asked.

"No," Logan replied.

"Good. I need a few scans and you're on your way," Simmons said brightly — still not letting on to what it was that was happening. She smiled at Skye broadly. "I'll send him back to you when we're done."

"Stealing my guy, Jemma?" she teased.

"No, simply _borrowing_ ," she said, shaking her head. "But you're both making a mess of my lab … all that blood. I'm surprised at you, Skye."

"Hey, I can handle myself in a fight," she said.

"Yes, but you've never been quite so … dirty about it."

Skye grimaced. "Well. Someone might have gotten a little close to the gauntlets. Or someone's. I wasn't paying much attention."

"And someone definitely got too close to the sharp end of those claws," she added. "As usual."

"That too," Skye said. She kissed a relatively clean spot on Logan's cheek. "See you in a bit, handsome," she teased before she slipped out of the lodge.


	33. Don't Stay Where You're Not Wanted

**Chapter 33: Don't Stay Where You're Not Wanted**

"Well, dis seems like a lot o' trouble for lil' ol' me," Remy said as he and May arrived at Fury's office.

"Little ol' you caused a helluva lot of trouble," Fury replied. "I want to know: If you're not with Hydra, then who are you working for?"

"Remy don' work for nobody," he said as if the idea offended him.

"No? Who'd you get paid from when you let them into our base?"

"Or _why_ did you let them into our base?" May interjected. "Pretty sleazy way to break it off with your girl."

Remy turned May's way with a look of offense. "That ain't how it was meant to go down wit' me an' Betts," he said with almost a glare.

"I didn't see any tape of you trying to keep her out of it," May said dryly.

"Didn't see tape o' her gettin' drugged neither," he pointed out. "You see her in a cage? _Non_?"

"I wasn't the one on-site that got them loose," she replied. "Or I would have helped tear Essex to pieces."

"You would, sho' nuff," he had to agree.

"Hmm," May said before she crossed behind Fury and came back to Remy with something in her hand. "Foot," she ordered, then proceeded to put a black box onto his ankle. "You've heard of house arrest, haven't you?"

Remy looked almost pained. "Ain't never been arrested before."

"This is the best we've got for now," Fury said. "And we're being merciful. You'll stay in the bunkhouses. You're restricted to them and the mess hall. That's it. You step outside of that circle, and that little box on your foot will blow your leg off. Got me?"

"You go to all dis trouble for one tief?"

"The alternative is that we lock you in the room with Viper," May offered.

Remy very quickly winced and shook his head. "Dis better."

"To be honest, we're not sure what exactly to do with you," Fury admitted. "But I'm not about to let you go runnin' off into the wind right now. Not until I can figure out what your game is."

"Well, dat ain't hard at all," Remy said with a shrug. "If it got a lock, Remy wants in."

"Doesn't matter which side it's for?"

"Well, I ain't workin' wit' Hydra, if dat's what you mean," Remy said with an honest sneer at the thought.

"That's a start," Fury said. "Why don't you think it's over? I'm sure there are some interesting things you could break into if you wanted to work for SHIELD legitimately."

"We pay our people," May added, knowing that Remy hadn't been around for that little revelation.

"You pay your agents," Remy corrected her.

"We pay Tahiti," she shot back. "Well."

"You pullin' my leg," he chuckled.

But May shook her head. "Negotiation happened when the kids were returned after Essex."

At that, Remy laughed outright. "Of course it happen after Remy leaves."

"You missed a lot," she told him.

"Includin' a whole lotta mess," he pointed out. "Ain't been livin' under a rock, you know. I seen the broadcasts."

"Then you know how serious we are about keeping the Tahiti kids safe," Fury said.

Remy shrugged. "Ain't here to get no one in trouble," he said. "Jes' a t'ief."

"Rethink your position," Fury said before he nodded at May to get the kid out.

* * *

 _February 2_

 _District Seven_

* * *

For the most part, Remy had been keeping to himself in the bunkhouses, more annoyed at being stuck than anything else and sulking a bit over his wounded pride. He had found a corner to build a house of cards, and for the most part, it seemed the other Tahiti kids were content to give him a wide berth — the bad blood after the Essex incident still present.

Ororo had been watching him sulk, quietly paying attention from around the corner when she finally decided that enough was enough and she very carefully slipped closer to touch the corner of his house of cards. When the whole thing inevitably tumbled, she smirked at him. "Don't like me anymore? Are you going to sulk about that too?"

He looked at her in disbelief for a moment before he shook his head and started to pull the cards together. "Why you gotta ruin a perfectly good house o' cards, _petit_?" he asked. "De house ain't done nuttin to you."

"How else would I get you to talk to me when you're intent on hiding in dark corners?"

Remy looked up at her a little better and laughed. "Now, why would a pretty ting like you talk with de tief on house arrest?" he asked. "Ain't you heard de talk? Ol' Remy, he bad news."

"Says who?" she challenged.

"You best get your ears checked, _petit_. Jus' got to lissen for a minnut and you hear it."

"See, I heard that your ex girlfriend handed you your own butt and you've been grumbly about it ever since."

"Well, hey, now, dat jus' ain't right," Remy said, straightening up. "She done beat Remy fair and square, but dat ain't de problem here."

"Sure sounds like a problem to me."

"Jus' ain't never been arrested is all," Remy said with a wave. "Ain't about Betts."

"Guess you shouldn't have made her mad then," Ororo pointed out.

"Didn't mean to," Remy said, still with that same light shrug. "Jus' happened dat way, and can't change a ting about it."

"Sounds like you don't regret it to me," Ororo said. "Which is a shame, because I had _thought_ we were friends."

Remy stopped and turned her way, letting a little smile start at the corner of his mouth. "We were, sho 'nuff," he said. "Never seen nobody get past de kitchen staff like you."

"Didn't have to get past them," she pointed out. "I just had to talk to them."

He leaned forward, resting his chin in his hands. "You friends wit everybody, lil' Miss Ororo," he teased.

"Then maybe you should learn how to be more like me, Mr. LeBeau. You could use a friend or two on your side."

He cocked his head to the side as he studied her for a moment. "Dey call you Storm in de Games — you mind dat much?" he asked suddenly.

"No," she replied. "Why would I?"

"Well, den Miss Storm," he said, leaning forward. "You know how to play at cards?"

"Not yet," she said as she scooted a little closer. "But once you teach me, I'll beat you until you get tired of it."

"We gon' have to teach you how to cheat den," he teased.

"If that's the only way you can beat me..."

"No, _petit_ , dat's de only way you can win," he corrected her with a laugh as he started to shuffle the cards.

* * *

 _February 10_

 _District Seven_

* * *

"Logan, could I possibly borrow you for a moment?" Simmons asked, poking her head into the lodge where Logan had just finished up training with Kurt.

He looked at the group at large, then nodded before he headed over. "Somethin' wrong?"

"Oh, absolutely the opposite," Simmons promised with a wide grin as she seized him by the arm. "If you don't mind my borrowing you for a while, I have all the scans and everything set up to get that—" She pointed at his left hand "—off for good."

"Ah," he said, nodding. "Yeah, let's do it."

She beamed at him and all but dragged him along. "I'm going to have to put you under," she warned him.

"You gonna cut it off?"

"Cut it _out_ ," she corrected him. "It's a little more invasive surgery than I would prefer, but in a few months, you'll only have a scar — and a small one, if I can help it."

He didn't look thrilled at the prospect but agreed to go along with her. "Probably easier if I'm under anyhow."

"It's likely," she said, though she seemed to smile that much wider as they got to the medical lodge and she immediately set to work, practically humming along.

He let her excited babbling wash over him as she set him up with the right sedation, and the next thing he knew, there was more excited babbling — on the other side of the procedure.

"...and of course, we'll take it to the lab in the Capitol to have it analyzed."

"What are you talking about now?" he asked sleepily.

She positively beamed at him and all but skipped over to show him the ring — off his finger — in a box. "I was just saying we should see what compounds are inside it and develop some countermeasures in case we come across anything like it."

"So you're sure there is something in there?"

"Oh, very much so," she said with a little nod and wide eyes. "There were trace amounts even after it was removed — nothing toxic, but a cocktail of some of what we've seen… It would have been very bad…" She shook her head and then patted his shoulder. "But we got around it neatly," she said brightly.

"Good," he said, closing his eyes again. "You kickin' me out?"

"No, you're welcome to stay as long as you like," she said, one eyebrow raised. "You couldn't exactly go anywhere right now… but when you feel up to it, you should find Skye." She smiled at him sideways. "I'm sure she'll be excited too."

"If she has any idea what you did, she'll be here before I can get out."

"Oh, I thought you might like to tell… did you want me to tell her?" she asked.

"I couldn't stop you if I tried right now."

"Then ... do you want to do it?" she asked. She looked like she was ready to burst out the door anyway.

"Either way," he said thickly. "This was your idea."

"Well, it was mine and Fitz's," she said. "He was the one who pointed out that we should move before Valentine's Day…." She bounced a bit on her toes. "He's very thoughtful."

"Okay," he said, not really paying attention to her as his eyes drifted shut again.

She smiled his way and then all but bounded out the door to go find Skye — though when she did, it was to find Skye hugging Fitz. And as soon as Skye spotted Simmons, she changed course and threw her arms around Simmon's neck.

"Is he out of it yet?" she asked. "Why didn't you _tell_ me?"

"We wanted to surprise you!" Simmons defended. "And he's still completely drugged up."

"Where? I want to see him!" Skye hugged her friend even tighter.

"Where else?" she asked with a little laugh before she gestured to the medical building.

Skye very nearly ran over everyone in her path on the way there, and when she did, she threw her arms around a still very dopey Logan to hug the stuffing out of him. "I can't believe you let them take you into surgery! It's finally gone!" she declared happily. "It's about _time_!"

"Jemma did it," Logan said, eyes closed, though he tried to move over a little for her.

"Yes, yes she did," Skye said as she climbed in beside him. "I already hugged her. But once you're out of the drugs, you and I are going to have to celebrate."

* * *

 _February 12_

 _District Seven_

* * *

Fury had gathered up all of the kids. He had news for them that was a very real step in the right direction, and it was long overdue, all things considered.

When they all finally settled down a bit, he broke it to them. "We will be deviating from our original plan," Fury said. "Ophelia Sarkissian will be moved to the Triskellion to start her trial, in which I'm sure several of you will be called to testify in."

"Wait. Trial?" Clint called out.

"Yes," Fury said. " _Trial_. Where she will publicly answer for her crimes."

"That's gonna put a real big target on wherever we hold the trial," Sam pointed out.

"The point is that we're going to _make the effort_ to hold the trial," Fury said. "A far cry from anything that the Capitol or Hydra ever did."

"You need volunteers for the detail making sure Hydra doesn't crash the party?" Steve asked. "Because you know they will."

"As a matter of fact, yes," Fury said. "But the announcement isn't going to happen until we have her moved already."

"Which… begs the question. When's that happening?" Peter asked.

"End of the month," Fury said. "There are a few loose ends to tie up first."

"Just don't let her kiss anyone on Valentine's Day," Miles muttered under his breath to Peter, who chuckled at that.

"If you'd like to testify, or you want to join in on the guard detail, see me in my office," Fury said. "I know there are some of you that are disappointed already that there won't be an execution before the trial ends."

"After the trial ends?" Natasha asked with one eyebrow raised.

"Almost definitely," Fury replied. "That final decision will be made by a jury."

"Yeah, so when's the execution?" Clint asked. "Because anyone who spends five minutes anywhere close to that lady leaves ready to kill her."

Fury let out a sigh. "If the trial is speedy, we should wrap up mid-June."

"Mid-June?" Kate repeated, wide-eyed.

"That's how long it will take," Fury answered. "The execution — if they do one — will be immediately after."

"Yeah… try not to do it at the start of July? Because we're trying to distance ourselves from the Capitol…" Kate pointed out.

"There are already plans that if it should end at the beginning of July, the execution will be postponed at least to August. For distance."

She seemed to relax substantially at that. "Oh good."

When the group of them started to disperse, Logan slipped away from the crowd and caught up to Fury. "I need to talk to her," he said. "If there's even a chance they let her walk, I need to get her to sign off."

Fury paused and frowned his way. "Alright," he said with a slight nod. "We'll pay her a visit."

"Get the papers first," Logan argued.

"If you think she'll agree to it," Fury said with one eyebrow raised as the two walked back to his office.

Logan sighed. "I might be able to talk her into it — but I doubt it'll happen today." He shook his head. "I've tried before. Just gonna have to wear her down."

"Good luck," Fury said, shaking his head. "I'll have it drawn up tonight. Just in case."

"Just tell me when to be there."

* * *

February 14

District Seven

* * *

Most of the population at the bunkhouses were buzzing over the festivities of the day. Ororo and Cassie had worked out a deal with the lumberjacks to bring in some supplies for them to make cookies for the holiday in exchange for a few cookies for the guys that brought them the goods. It was more than fair, as far as they were concerned.

The stylists had decorated the lodge that acted as a common area for the kids to gather and relax, and Noh had already started setting things up for a little music to serve as background to what they'd already decided was going to be an entertaining and enchanting party.

Most of the couples were already paired off, whispering sweet nothings and generally making those unattached ill at their displays.

One glaring exception, however, was the very attached but still alone Skye, who seemed to be grumpy as she tried not to scowl at the couples. She'd gotten away from the crowd and was simply working over a punching bag, her hair pulled back into a ponytail, and a healthy amount of English on her hits as she worked punches and kicks.

It was there — working over the bag — where Scott found her, entirely by accident. The Hudson kids had all gotten into the spirit of the celebrations by attacking everyone with snowballs until they had to retreat into private cabins, and he more or less got caught in the crossfire of their attack on Peter and Gwen on his way to see Clara.

He ducked inside with an apologetic look, ready to explain the intrusion with the sound of shrieking kids and snowballs outside, but that died when he saw what Skye was up to. "Uh ... do you need a spotter?" he asked.

"Nope," she said almost through gritted teeth. "I'm just going to kick the crap out of this bag."

"Where's your usual spotter?" he asked, looking around the cabin. "I didn't think there was anything on the schedule today."

"There's not," she said. "No idea where he ran off to."

Scott frowned at that. "Thought you knew everything that goes on around here," he said, with a small smirk.

"Whatever he's doing ... wherever he is … there aren't any cameras."

Scott's frown only deepened, and he was already turning to the door. "Watch your step outside; the kids are throwing snowballs," he told her on his way out.

"Won't be an issue."

It took Scott a while, checking around several different hiding spots — past the kids mobbing Mac and Heather for chocolates and Remy sitting with Ororo playing cards again — before he decided to check Fury's office.

Somehow, he wasn't surprised that he found Logan there. He was just sitting at Fury's desk — the director nowhere in sight — and he was leaned back and pinching the bridge of his nose with the lights off.

"So this is how you're spending the day?" Scott asked as he shut the door behind him.

Logan let his hand fall and watched as Scott took a few steps closer. "For now."

"You don't think there's anything better you could do with your time?" Scott snapped back. "Whatever this is — you don't think you can take a break for a day and spend it with Skye?"

Logan let out a breath, dropped the chair onto all four legs and leaned toward Scott, pushing a paper across the desk without a word spoken.

Scott snatched up the paper with narrowed eyes, but his expression totally shifted when he saw what it was, and he glanced up at Logan, let out his breath, and nodded once as he set it back down on the desk.

"Still think I don't have better things to do?"

"At least tell Skye what you're doing," Scott said. "She thinks you're blowing her off. On Valentine's Day."

"I haven't made an inch of headway in the past few days," he replied. "And there's a small chance she could get away without an execution. I gotta get this done."

"Then _I'm_ going to tell her," Scott said. "You just… keep working at it."

"That's what I was plannin' on. Had to take a break so I don't strangle Viper."

"Yeah. That's a problem with her," Scott said with a small smirk as he headed for the door.

"I hope you don't have to find that out first hand."

"Yeah, I've already met her. And no offense, but if I wound up in your shoes, Clara would have already killed her, so…"

"Just tryin' to do this the right way," Logan replied. "Without letting anyone get in trouble for that."

"You need any help, let me know," Scott nodded.

"Just a few minutes' quiet before I try again."

Scott smirked. "Yeah, alright," he said before he shouldered out of the door and headed back to Skye's cabin, where she was absolutely still trying to destroy the bag in front of her.

"Your spotter's not skipping out on you," he said with a crooked smirk.

"Uh-huh," she said, finally stepping back from the bag.

"Believe it or not, he's been trying to get a divorce. It's all drawn up; he's just gotta get her to sign it," Scott said. "He's working on wearing her down."

"Oh, come on," she said with a little frown, as if she just couldn't quite believe it. "What … what .. _why_?" She asked. "Isn't it pretty well decided that there's going to be an execution anyhow?"

"There's a small chance she'll just be jailed," Scott said. "Which would put you two right back where you are now." He shrugged. "Better safe than sorry, right?"

"Are you sure that's not just a line?" Skye asked, though she was starting to smile a little bit.

"Skye, this is me you're talking to."

"So you believe it's just … paperwork?"

"It's a divorce, Skye," Scott said. "It's a little more than just paperwork."

"And you _saw_ the papers? Full legal names and all that?"

"Yeah, the whole nine," Scott said with a nod. "James Howlett and Ophelia Sarkissian."

She couldn't stop the smile before she took the last steps to wrap her arms around his neck in a hug. "Thank you for telling me."

He was totally caught off guard before he tried to return the gesture with a quick squeeze. "Yeah. No problem," he said with a nod.

* * *

It was hours later before Logan finally gave up for the day. That woman was just … insane. And more stubborn than a damn mule. And _spiteful_. While he was trying to get her to sign it and dissolve their joke of a marriage, she was trying to convince him to give it a shot. He was in a foul mood as he made his way to where most of the camp was celebrating — really looking for a drink before he went to bed — and then hit it again tomorrow.

And if progress was any indicator, the day after that, and the one after that …

The party was going with nothing but love songs playing over the speakers as Logan found a glass and poured it halfway full of whiskey before even turning around to see what the hell was going on.

Of course, that was when not only Kate and Kurt but Peter and Gwen came over to try and rope him into the festivities.

"Where's Skye?" Kate asked with a grin.

"No idea," Logan replied, getting into the drink. "Haven't seen her today."

"Logan." Kurt looked gobsmacked. "It's Valentine's, _mein Freund_. What are you _thinking_?"

"Right this moment? Kinda wondering where my life took a wrong turn, since I'm wondering why the hell Vic hasn't shown his ugly mug lately."

"Umm. We're all actually pretty darn happy he hasn't," Peter pointed out.

"Doesn't matter. Jackass won't show up if I could actually use him for five minutes."

"For _what_?" Kate asked.

"To lock in the room with Viper," he said, as if it was the most reasonable explanation in the world.

"I thought the plan was to put her on trial," Gwen said with a small frown.

"Which gives her a shot at not dyin'," Logan pointed out.

"So your solution is Sabretooth and not, oh, I don't know, _anyone else_?" Kate asked.

"If they're starting trials, you really don't want somethin' like that on record at this point," Logan replied. "And … I don't think anyone would be as mean about it as Vic."

"Okay, but still," Peter said. "I mean. I get that she's horrible. But. Still."

Logan gave him a dry look. "I'm tryin' to get her to let me go."

" _Ah_ ," Kurt said, the understanding lighting up his expression. "And she won't."

"Of course not," he grumbled. "Rotten, obstinate pain in my ass."

"Yeah. But so's Creed," Kate pointed out.

"I can stand to be in the same room with _him_ for five minutes." Logan swirled the liquor in his glass for a moment before he tipped it back again.

"Alright, you're clearly not in the proper spirit of the day," Peter said, shaking his head at last.

"Let's get something clear right now, Parker — if you set that idiot friend of yours after me, I will knock every last tooth you have out of your mouth."

Peter held up both hands. "Wade's bothering Clint, trying to get him to do something about a Clintasha monster?" He shrugged. "I was just gonna suggest maybe going to go see your Valentine and _chilling out,_ because if your idea of a good idea right now is Sabretooth, you need to take it down about five hundred notches."

"Maybe after I take the edge off and _don't_ wanna hit someone."

"It'll happen, Logan," Kurt said with a small smile as he put a hand on Logan's shoulder. "Whether it's an execution in June or something else... if we have to hold her down and force her to sign ourselves…."

"Not gonna happen that way," he said, shaking his head. "It's gotta be legitimate or death."

"Seems fair to me. You didn't want in; she didn't want out — it balances," Peter argued.

"This whole stupid thing was to live up to a debt. I'm not gonna have that hanging over my head."

"You're an idiot sometimes," Kate said, rolling her eyes. "I mean, you're sweet, but you're an idiot."

"I don't want it comin' back to bite me," he replied. "And if I force it like you're talking about doin', she'll find a way to make it come back. If you think I'm bein' paranoid, ask one of the other victors."

"Then we keep trying. But Logan, you aren't with Viper right now. You're with friends," Kurt pointed out, sweeping his arm out to indicate the party. " _Be_ with friends."

"Takes a minute," Logan grumbled.

"Then take a minute, and join the rest of us," Kurt said. "We can take our party to Skye if need be."

Logan refilled his glass then looked over at Kurt. "Why? Somethin' happening I should know about?"

"It's _Valentine's Day_ ," Kurt said, shaking his head at Logan.

"Yeah, and last I checked, that wasn't a _group_ activity."

"We're just having a party before we all split off for the night," Kate pointed out, draping an arm around Kurt.

"So what does that entail, exactly?"

"Just being with friends," Kurt said. "Enjoying the party and relaxing a little."

"You do know what that word means, right?" Kate teased.

He looked at her over the lip of his glass, catching her gaze with a totally serious expression. "Nope."

"I'll get you a dictionary," she promised with a sideways grin.

He watched her for a moment longer before he grabbed the bottle and filled the glass one more time. "Thanks for the refreshments."

"Go make over the future director," she said with a grin. "I've got my Elf…" She kissed Kurt's cheek. "...and you're all…." She waved her hand at him.

He smirked at her for that, finally starting to relax with the quick drinks. "Yes I am."

When he got out to the little cabin, he wasn't expecting to get tackled and to have the sense kissed out of him without warning. "Scott told you what I'm up to?" he asked before Skye just gave him a broad grin.

"Scott told me what you were up to. And it's sweet. Don't give up."

"I won't," he promised before they figured out their own way to celebrate the day by the fire with the snow falling steadily outside.


	34. Who's Leading Hydra?

**Chapter 34: Who's Leading Hydra?**

* * *

 _February 18_

 _District Seven_

* * *

When Ororo found Remy that morning, he was wandering around the bunkhouses in the freshly fallen snow, his hands in his pockets as he was whistling and walking around until he seemed to stop suddenly, take a step back, and then keep going in a new direction, still whistling.

"That's a funny little dance you have, Remy," Ororo said as she sat on a snowy log.

"It ain't a dance, Miss Storm," he said with a grin. "Whatchu doin' out here in all dis' muck anyway? It too cold for a pretty ting like you."

"It's not muck," she said with a little laugh. "It's beautiful. And I was looking for you if you want me to be honest."

"Why you lookin' for ol' Remy?" he laughed.

"I can't look for my friend?"

"You sho' can," Remy chuckled, shaking his head. "It jus' too cold out here for tinkin' people. The air ... it bite your face and take your nose clean off."

"If it's too cold for thinking people, then what 'choo doin' out here, Remy Etienne?"

"Not tinkin' das fo' sho," he said with a crooked grin. "You got a horrible accent, _petit_."

She giggled. "Yes, but it's fun."

He laughed and waved her over so he could lean in close, conspiratorially. "You wanna know what Ol' Remy been up to?" he asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Of course," she said with a matching smile.

He beckoned her forward with one finger, taking a few steps to the side until she could hear a little beeping. "Dat," he said, "mean de end o' de rope, Stormy."

She frowned at the sound and shook her head. "So … you're seeing how far you can go, or you're trying to leave us again?"

"Ain't gon' go far," he said with a shrug. "Mebbe I come back wit a present for Stormy."

"You'd freeze to death if you tried," she pointed out.

"Ain't gon' leave _now_ ," he laughed.

"But you don't want to stay," she guessed, shaking her head. "That's too bad, for what I heard."

"And what is it you heard, lil' Miss Storm?" he asked.

She shrugged one shoulder up to her ear. "If you plan to leave, then I'm not sure it should be repeated."

He laughed and shook his head before he reached behind her ear to pull out a couple chocolates. "What you tink? Trade you for it?" he teased.

"I think … if I tell you... then you've gotten a good deal for a couple of chocolates." She tipped her chin up and gave him an appraising look. "Sweeten the offer. Promise me you won't leave without telling me first."

"Stormy, dat's already what de plan was," Remy laughed.

"In person," she said. "And not as you're running out of the door like a scared little swamp rat."

"Hey now, dat ain't nice," Remy said.

"Neither is abandoning your friends." She gave him a raised eyebrow look and turned to head back to the cabins. "But if you're not interested in what I know …"

He laughed and rushed ahead of her to grab her up and spin her in a hug. "Alright, you got ol' Remy's interest, _petit_. Whatchu know?"

"Just that a certain girl has been watching you a lot more closely lately … and not in a 'want to stab you' kind of way."

Remy's grin widened at that, though he had to laugh and shake his head. "Now, dat ain't nice, Stormy. Ol' Remy was serious 'bout tellin' you 'bout leavin."

"And I'm serious too," she replied. "She has been reconsidering her stance."

"Oh, so she suddenly real forgivin' on de account o' bein' kidnapped and all dat?" Remy laughed with a little less mirth than usual.

"She's been digging, Remy LeBeau," Storm replied. "And I overheard her telling her brother that she doesn't think you wanted to help them and that you _had_ to."

Remy looked away from Ororo for a moment before he chuckled. "Can't nobody make Remy do nuttin he don' wanna do."

"Oh?" she said quietly. "Then maybe I should have Skye help her dig. I'm sure _she_ could find the missing pieces."

"Stormy," Remy said quietly, then shook his head. "Come on now. Man's past is his past."

"And she wants to believe that you're not horrible," she said.

"Well I certainly ain't Hydra," Remy said, straightening up a bit as his eyes flashed.

"Then what is it?" she asked. "I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to. I'll even help cover your tracks."

He grinned at that. "You do dat for me?" he asked, genuinely surprised.

"I consider you a friend," she said with a smile. "And I don't want anyone pushing you around."

"Stormy, we gotta get your ears checked, 'cause I done told you already can't nobody make Remy do nuttin," he said.

"And I done told _you_ ," she said. "I have heard things already, so just … keep letting your ankle beep."

He shook his head. "Lissen here, Stormy — _can't nobody make Remy do nuttin_... But dey _could_."

"Who?"

Remy waved his hand. "He dead an' gone, _petit_. Man's past is his past."

She nodded her head at that, though she didn't tell him that she'd seen the video the day of the mass kidnapping. "Probably best that way," she said. "Unless you actually really _cared_ about that silly purple-haired ninja."

"You playin' dirty, Stormy. Who done taught you dat?"

"A girl's past is her past," Storm shot back.

He laughed outright at that as he took a seat, his head tipped back to watch the snow for a while. "You gon' help ol' Remy cover his tracks, _non_?" he asked at last.

"If you need it that badly, and can't stand to be around us, yes."

He seemed to think it over for a good, long time before he nodded. "Jus' don' want de folks 'round here tinkin' Remy like his ol' man is all," he told her without looking her way.

"I'm not sure if you noticed, but most of the people here are nothing like their blood families."

"Do dey blood families kidnap all de Tahiti kids at once?" Remy asked with one eyebrow raised.

She let out a low whistle. "Well, there are some real pieces of work, but I think that's a new one."

Remy gestured wordlessly as he watched the snow.

"A Hawkeye's dad tried to sell us out to Hydra," she said after a long stretch. "Tried to take it right to Viper."

"Dat woman a real piece o' work," Remy said with a bit of a sneer.

"She married Wolverine," she told him. "No one's kicking him out."

"Why he marry dat woman?" Remy asked. "She ain't… dat ain't _right_."

"I'm not exactly sure," she admitted. "But he didn't want to."

"Well, if dat's de case, it make a lil' more sense," Remy said with a nod. He leaned back even further before, all at once, he let out a breath and sat up. "You cain't tell nobody 'bout Remy's ol' man," he said seriously.

"I won't," she promised. "That's your secret to tell." She gave him a little smile before she bumped his shoulder. "Why don't you show me that beeping thing?"

"You gon' make sure to be dere when I find de edge?" he teased lightly.

"I was going to see how it stays on," she said. "You might be a master thief in your mind, but I can pick locks."

Remy _beamed_ at that. "I knew dere was a reason I like you," he teased as he reached down to lift his pant leg and show her the device there.

She looked at it closely and narrowed her eyes. "I'll need smaller picks. But … it can be done. I'll make some."

"Stormy, you do dat, and you gon' have to show Remy how you pull it off," he chuckled.

"You'd have to stick around for that," she pointed out.

"Never said I wouldn't visit," he said. "Jus' don' like bein' arrested."

She tipped her head to the side for a moment. "Don't steal from my friends either, please. There are plenty of other people to rob."

"You puttin' de whole o' SHIELD under dat umbrella, _petit_?"

"No," she said with a laugh. "Just the Tahiti kids, the _good_ victors, and a few SHIELD people."

He leaned forward with a twinkle in his eyes. "Don' worry none, _petit_. Remy already looked tru dis place, and ain't nutting interestin'. Even Peter Quill, he got nuttin, and he royal."

"Well he got rid of anything 'royal' a long time ago," she pointed out with a laugh. She got to her feet and headed toward the bunks. "Give me a day or two," she said over her shoulder.

"You know where to find me," he called back.

* * *

 _February 20_

 _District Seven_

* * *

It had been snowing steadily for the past few days, and the bulk of the camp had simply stayed in their cabins or bunks. But time was passing them by. After a few days off from trying to talk reason, Logan had again decided to give it a shot to get Viper to pull her head out and sign the damn papers already.

It really didn't make it easy to get out of bed, though, knowing what kind of a day was waiting for him. "Think Fury will stroke out if I just .. stab her a little?" he said in a rumbling tone, still not wanting to move.

Skye responded by nuzzling into him. "I wouldn't complain," she said. "And if he did, I'd be the director, so... "

"And your AD does keep you well informed already of everything that happens while you're being directorly."

She smirked and kissed him. "Yeah, well, you're the one who assigned him the job title."

"Oh, come on. He was born for that position and you know it."

"As much as I was born for director," she teased, still curling into him.

"Well probably not if you're going to continue to associate with riff raff," he muttered. "God forbid if you go by America's measure."

She laughed at that. "Well, according to her, I'm already a dirty mistress, so there's not much hope anyway."

"Child's play," he said with a little laugh. "She keeps tackin' more onto mine. 'Dirty cheating married whore' was what it was last I checked."

"Well, she'll drop at least two of those if we can get rid of the stupid green lady," Skye pointed out.

"Yeah, good point. Except she's no lady," Logan replied before he gave her a long and involved kiss. "On it, Director."

She laughed and finally made a little space for him to get out of the snuggle. "Carry on," she teased.

Logan shook his head at her and rushed to get moving. The key was getting to Fury's office before someone got in there to talk to him about other matters — and he'd be cutting it close. "You don't make it easy to want to go over there, just so you know," he told her before he grabbed his flannel on the way out the door and made a beeline through the knee deep snow to Fury's office.

He grabbed the paper off of the edge of Fury's desk and slipped into the room with Viper to start it up again — though for once, she didn't seem very happy to see him. Which was a switch. "You ready to quit being such a stubborn ass?" he asked in way of greeting.

She glared at him and crossed her arms as he took a seat... and the back and forth began. Again.

* * *

Natasha almost had to laugh when she spotted Clint sitting on a rooftop overlooking the bunkhouses, and she climbed up to sit with him as he watched the snow fall. "I thought you hated being cold."

"I do. It freezes up my hands."

She bumped his shoulder with hers and laughed. "Then what are you doing out here?" she had to ask.

"Just thinking," he said with a little shrug. "Nothing wrong with that, right?"

"No, but if thinking is going to get you frozen…."

"Nat," he chuckled.

"I'm just saying. You can think inside where there's a fire and coffee—"

"—and you," Clint said with a crooked smile before he leaned forward and rested his chin on his knees.

She paused to tip her head at him for a moment before she laughed. "Alright, yes, that's true," she allowed. "So what is it that you're thinking about without fire, coffee, and me?"

"Just the usual," he said with a light shrug. "Just ... thinking about the whole war. Don't think it's gonna end as soon as everyone thinks, even with Viper on trial."

"What makes you say that?" she asked.

He gave her a dry look. "Nat."

"I'm not disagreeing with you. I'm just asking your thought process."

"We just don't have that kinda luck, Nat," Clint said with a sigh. "Seems like we gotta get someone nearly killed or screwed up or something every time we take one of 'em down, and I don't think I like the price tag."

"Bobbi?" she guessed, her head tipped to the side.

He let out his breath. "Partly," he had to admit. "Not gonna lie, beginning of the year, if you'd've asked me... I was kinda hoping to have her around last week for a special Valentine's, just her and me…." He shook his head. "Didn't pan out. That's fine. I just … it's fine, Nat."

She frowned and turned his way, trying to come up with something she could say — and it was just on the tip of her tongue when Clint suddenly stiffened.

"Nat," he said, his tone completely different from the one he'd been using before.

She followed his gaze until she saw it — the green helicopters ahead of the Hydra forces. "I see it."

"I'll get the kids; you get the alarm?"

She nodded wordlessly, already sliding down the roof, and the moment their feet hit the ground, both of them broke into a run.

* * *

"Fine," Viper said finally, sounding worn down and irritated. It was shocking enough that Logan wasn't exactly expecting it when she finally agreed.

"No stipulations."

"No," she agreed. "Just .. stop."

And naturally, as she let out a sigh and picked up the pen, the alarms went off... and she froze.

"What is _that_?"

Logan narrowed his eyes. "No idea. Sign the damn thing."

But instead, she set the pen down and stood up — moments before an explosion shook the building and knocked them both off of their feet. The table was upturned, and the sound of more explosions could easily be heard. All at once, the two of them met gazes, and Viper started to grin. " _Finally_."

He rushed her and started to grapple with her, pinning her to the ground as she cackled gleefully. "You're not getting out of here," he growled out.

"Of course I am," she laughed. "Why else would they be here?" With that, she kicked him back enough to get to her feet and pick up the paper to tear it into pieces. "And _that_ , my darling estranged husband, is _never_ going to happen."

It was pretty clear that his temper had simply gotten the better of him as he popped his claws and made a dive for her. She squeaked, trying to get out of his way as someone outside of the tiny room started to open fire on Mack as he stood guard outside.

The door was kicked open, and a flash bang cartridge went off, leaving Logan temporarily deaf and blind as the Hydra soldiers rushed in and picked Viper up to pluck her from the room.

* * *

Shortly after the alarms went off, the first of the fires broke out — and quickly spread around the bunkhouses. Almost every one of them had gone up in flames, and Hydra soldiers were everywhere, tearing the place apart. It wasn't clear if they were _looking_ for something or if they were just wantonly destroying everything in their path, but they were being thorough about it, that's for sure.

The alarm had thankfully alerted most of the kids to evacuate, though Ororo could see that Clint and Natasha were working to get anybody — and anything — else out that was necessary, with both of them working to cover the doctors like Simmons and Celia who just weren't fighters.

Ororo looked around at the quickly growing carnage and started searching for the one _other_ person she knew couldn't just walk away. And when she found Remy — near the edge of the boundary — she called out to him. "I have lockpicks!" she shouted his way. "Come on!"

"Dat ain't de first concern right now, _petit_ ," he called back to her, and she saw that he'd somehow manage to get his hands on a bo staff as he twirled it around.

"Well if that thing does what Fury said, it _is_ on my mind — quit screwing around with that Hydra creep and get over here. It'll take me a minute tops."

Remy paused for a moment before he slammed the staff into the Hydra soldier he was fighting — though he didn't go right to Ororo and paused to scoop someone up, carrying an unconscious Kamala over to where they were. "Best work fast, Stormy," he told her seriously.

As soon as they were even halfway hidden between cabins, Storm got to work. He could feel the tiny tumblers falling into place as she concentrated hard, her lips pursed and her eyes narrowed while she worked her long, graceful fingers with the picks until finally, not quite a minute in... "Ha!"

He grinned as he wrenched off the ankle device and kissed her forehead. "You a genius, Stormy," he told her. "Now let's get outta here before we go up like de smoke 'round us," he added, stooping once more to pick up Kamala.

* * *

When the alarms went off, Kate had been with Kurt as well as Clara, Heather, and the whole Hudson clan. Somehow, Elsie had roped the two of them into playing games with the group, and seeing as they were impossible to say no to, Kate and Kurt wound up as the monsters in an extended game of make believe.

But when the alarm sounded, Ella growled toward the door, and the adults in the room glanced to each other before quickly herding the younger ones to the door. The alarm meant it was time to evacuate — and there were checkpoints further out in the woods.

Heather and the oldest in the group of kids, little Oliver, had most of the kids, but Kurt had been tickling Josh at the time. He was half clutched to Kurt until Kate gently took him so Kurt could get his swords — she already had her bow — and then the three of them rushed off behind Clara, Heather, and the rest of the kids.

The twin girls screamed when a house nearest them burst into flames before Kate and Kurt could close the space — and Heather looked back with a look of panic until she saw that Josh was with the two of them and Ella.

"Meet you there!" Kate called out as they backtracked and went to find a different path to the checkpoints that wasn't blocked by fire.

The two of them ran out through the bunkhouse area toward the woods, though it was already concerning how close the sounds of gunfire and other fights were too the bunkhouses already. They should have had more time - but already Kate could see green in the woods - and not the green of forest life.

Kate held Josh close, shushing him as they dodged between the trees and ducked for cover, all while small clusters of Hydra ran past toward the bunkhouses. Over the sound of their heavy boots stomping in the snow, the voices of their squadron leaders could be heard shouting out horrible things like 'no survivors' and 'make sure they can be identified'. The grim feeling in the air was palpable — even more so when a hauntingly familiar voice caught Kurt's attention.

He went very still and grasped his swords tighter as the crunch of snow got ever closer — and Von Strucker's low growl cut through the air like a knife. "I want those Tahiti brats. Each and every one of them."

Kurt glanced over at Kate, who was desperately shushing the still-terrified Josh, and jerked his head to indicate that they should run faster; Von Strucker could wait until after Josh was safe. The crunch of their feet in the snow and the little upset noises Josh was making sounded far too loud in the trees as Kate was whispering, "It's okay," over and over at the little guy.

"Look into that," Von Strucker said quickly. Not a moment later, the sound of soldiers headed their direction was unmistakable, and when the Hydra creeps stepped around the tight cluster of trees where the four of them were hidden, Ella let loose the lowest growl that either of them had ever heard.

Her ears were pinned back, and his lips were curled up menacingly — showing all of her teeth and the whites of her eyes with her hackles raised. She looked at least half again bigger than she already was, and it was clear no one was going to take another step without dealing with her first.

When the soldier shouted out that it seemed to be a wolf and raised his rifle, Ella startled the three kids gathered there when she snarled viciously and lunged at him, sinking her teeth into the soldier's arm and whipping her head back and forth. It certainly drew the attention of the rest of the Hydra nearby — but it also startled Josh into crying, quickly giving away their position to the soldiers standing guard around Von Strucker.

'We know you are there; step out now," Von Strucker instructed. "Or we will shoot your dog and then come after you anyhow."

Kate and Kurt shared a look before they stepped around the trees, Kurt planted firmly in front of the other two with his swords ready as Kate looked incensed. "What kind of low life would shoot a _dog_?" she hissed out.

"And here the baron has been making claims to be a man of honor," Kurt agreed, eyes flashing. "I see your true colors come out the second you feel even slightly threatened."

"I am not the one that feels threatened," Von Strucker replied. "Seeing as you are the one hiding behind a beast."

"She just hates Hydra. Good taste, Ella," Kate said with a smirk Ella's direction as the wolf continued to try to tear apart the soldier. "Smart girl." She readjusted Josh for a moment and then said, "So, I call off my wolf, you let us pass, we'll all be friends, right? Or should I let Kurt run you through?"

"You speak as if you are in control of this scenario," Von Strucker countered. "Yet what can you do to stop me from doing precisely as I've already promised? What can you give me that I cannot retrieve on my own?"

Kate took just a second to look down at Josh before she countered with, "Information," knowing it was the only answer that would buy them time — and possibly Josh's safety.

"You have nothing else I desire, as Lady Hydra has _already_ been secured."

At that, Ella let go of the Hydra soldier and simply started to howl as she rushed to Kate and Kurt. It was a mournful sound, somewhere between a true howl and a whine — and loud enough to cover anything that Von Strucker was trying to say. To make the effect more haunting for the bad guys, all around the woods, wolves began to answer her, filling the forest with their song as they circled in.

Loud gunfire erupted in the night, silencing the wolves momentarily. "Where are your friends?" Von Strucker demanded.

For just a moment, Kurt's gaze was diverted as he saw a movement in the trees, and he couldn't help but smirk as he answered the Hydra leader. "Closer than you'd think, actually."

"I'm sure," Von Strucker answered. "But I want to know more specifically than your riddles, boy."

"Let them leave first, and I'll even take you right to one," Kurt countered, indicating Kate and Josh even as Kate shook her head at him.

"And let her warn the others? I think not," Von Strucker said with a hint of amusement. "No, you and the little whelp will die here today."

Kate looked incensed, but Kurt laid his hand on her arm and tapped out a coded message for her to look to the trees, the tiniest of smirks on his face. When she did, and her sharp gaze spotted what he'd seen, he saw her relax just the tiniest bit. "That's not really a fair trade for information if you're just going to kill us anyway," she said with a little frown as the two of them moved to simply play for time.

"I thought you understood," Von Strucker said. "I am bargaining to kill you _quickly_. Unlike how you and your friends threatened to drag out the suffering of our dear Lady Hydra."

"Yeah, she totally deserves it," Kate shot back even as she glanced back to the trees to see a hidden figure signing to her, telling her where she could hide with Josh as soon as the action started.

"I've had enough of your games," Von Strucker said. "Come clean about their positions _now_ or I will shoot you down like dogs."

Kurt took a slight step forward, his grip on his swords as he inclined his head slightly toward the woods. "Let me show you, then," he offered.

As Kurt stepped forward, drawing his sword, Von Strucker did the same... and found himself flattened out, face-first in the snow, from a boot to the center of his back. When he looked up, he growled out to himself as Logan came into the clearing, furious, bloodied, and with his clothes half shredded as he went to cutting up Strucker's soldiers with his claws.

Kurt took only a second to look over his shoulder and make sure Kate had run for cover, with Ella close on their heels and looking like she was ready to pounce on anyone who got too close to Kate or Josh, before he launched forward to take on Von Strucker. "Let's see how brave you are without your men to menace _children_ for you," he all but hissed as he met the man's steel with his own when Von Strucker barely managed to get his blade between them. He didn't give the Hydra leader a chance to fully get to his feet before he struck out again, this time managing to cut a thin line across the man's arm with his second sword.

Von Strucker sneered at him as he met Kurt's swing, though Kurt could see the surprise just behind his sneer when Kurt wasn't as easily pushed back as he had been the last time. What's more, Kurt was the one trying to bait him into attacking this time as he took a slight step back and twirled his swords with a flourish. "You've lost your edge, Baron," Kurt said with a smirk.

"I'll show you my _edge_ , boy." Von Strucker powered forward, trying to knock Kurt back, but Kurt did well holding his ground, even if there was certainly a strain on his face as he threw his all into it. They were nose to nose, teeth bared on both sides — until Kurt got the edge when a snowball whipped in and exploded on the side of Von Strucker's face.

"Was there a rock in that?" Logan shouted out as he continued to slice up the remaining Hydra guards. "Because I put one in there."

Kurt took the advantage that Logan had given him to push Von Strucker away and go for a more damaging blow, both swords pressed forward for a stab that the man couldn't quite avoid — though Kurt hit his shoulder rather than anyplace more damaging as Von Strucker spun away.

Again, Kurt tried to bait him, remembering what Logan had said about making his opponent come to him. "So unfocused," he said, his own slight accent deepening in an imitation of Von Strucker's. "And you call me an amateur."

Von Strucker narrowed his eyes and pushed forward with a burst to begin an angry attack of slashes and thrusts that Kurt needed both swords to defend against. "Yet you are the one resorting to a childish assistant."

"I thought you would have remembered him by now. You know you can't control what he does, right? Or did you miss that lesson?" Kurt shot back.

Von Strucker didn't answer him but to press forward in a rage to knock Kurt back with the first break in form that Kurt had seen from him — simply to push him back a few steps and follow up with a precise lunge through Kurt's shoulder at the joint.

Kurt cried out as the sword in that hand clattered to the ground and he was unable to raise his left arm. "Logan!" he called to his friend as he brought his other blade up in defense and barely managed to block a second strike.

Logan was there in a flash, his own sword drawn and already pushing back against the Hydra leader while Kurt took a moment to gather himself and focus. Von Strucker was taken off-guard by the change in tactics, and Logan pushed him backward a few solid steps.

"Watch for the parry on the left," Kurt called out to Logan an instant before Von Strucker made exactly that move. Logan dodged it — but only just — and brought up his katana to hold Von Strucker back as Kurt caught up to them. Von Strucker tried to force a deflection, but Logan stuck with him and blocked when he tried to bring his blade down on him.

Kurt burst forward to take advantage of the fact that Von Strucker's attention was on Logan, and though the Hydra leader managed to step back slightly from his first blow, Kurt was there to meet the parry.

"Do you really think that using an animal to aid you will help you to win?" Von Strucker spat out.

"That _man_ has more honor than you can ever understand," Kurt shot back, eyes flashing as he lunged again, this time piercing Von Strucker through the side. He moved to pull his sword back quickly, already bracing for a counterattack — but he let out a gasp of surprise when instead, Von Strucker spun on his heel to put his blade through Logan.

The Hydra leader smirked at Kurt's reaction and the look of shock on Logan's face. Logan dropped his katana… and shakily reached up to clamp down on Strucker's hand holding the blade. With a snarl, Logan pulled Von Strucker and his blade closer, finishing the run through for him but setting the man back substantially before he popped his claws and cut off Von Strucker's hand. "All yours, Elf."

Kurt hardly hesitated before he lunged forward, his blade running neatly through Von Strucker's chest from behind. The Hydra leader looked down at the tip of the sword in surprise for just a moment before Kurt pulled it back, and the Hydra leader simply fell to the ground.

In a second, Kurt was crouching down by Logan, who had slipped to his knees in the snow. Kurt was staring at the sword in his friend. "Logan..." he started but couldn't think of what to say next, instead just shaking his head. "We need to get you to the checkpoint and let the doctors look you over. That... That looks bad."

But Logan was shaking his head too. "I'm stayin' right here," Logan told him. "Go make sure Kate and Josh are okay. I'm not gonna get there on my own steam, and I know it. I'm not movin'. I won't touch it."

Kurt got to his feet with a deep frown. "I'll be back with help, then," he assured Logan as the snow began to fall more heavily, promising to cover his tracks if the whole affair took too long. "Don't go dying on me in the meantime. You have to help me tell Kate about the sword fight."

Logan nodded his head, though he didn't look like he thought it was going to work out for him. From Logan's responses alone, Kurt knew that he'd be unconscious by the time he returned.

Kurt took off at a full run, relieved when he didn't run into Hydra forces on the way to the knotted tree where a few SHIELD forces were hidden in a bunker underneath the gnarled roots. He was relieved to see that Kate and Josh were there with Ella as well as the rest of the Hudsons, and a few doctors were looking over some of the others. Mostly, the kids were just shaken, but there were a few cuts and bruises and several burns that needed treating.

"I need your help," Kurt told the nearest doctor. "Logan's still out there — he's been stabbed."

Celia didn't hesitate to follow Kurt out, along with a couple medics, since they knew how Logan could be about medical staff. They ran out in the snow, snaking through the trees on the winding path to where Logan was passed out with a thin coat of fresh snow on him. The little rescue team worked fast to get him patched up as well as they could so they could safely move him, but Celia was sure to tell Kurt that Logan was going to need surgery as soon as they could get him to help.

By the time they were able to get back to the center of the district, it was clear that Hydra had simply burned their bunkhouses to the ground. There was a surgical hospital-style setup further in town where the medical staff took Logan — though the little lodge where their main medical facilities had been was in flames. Claire was running the emergency medical area with her usual calm, but it was obvious to Kurt once he arrived with Logan that there were more injured than she quite knew what to do with. All they could manage was making sure the more serious cases, like Logan, were immediately taken care of.

There was nothing more Kurt could do for his friend but to wait for the doctors to do their job, so he simply sat down heavily — not noticing the fact that Celia was giving him a concerned frown until she set to work on his shoulder as well.


	35. This is the Nicest Hideout Ever

**Chapter 35: This is the Nicest Hideout We've Ever Had**

While the victors and Tahiti kids were in a holding pattern — all of them unsure about where they were headed or what they were going to do next — Fury was on the warpath, following the Hydra invasion back to their source, intent on blowing Viper out of the sky.

But while he was out trying to chase her down, Coulson was left to play dad to the kids.

Coulson was scrambling to count kids and make sure they had everyone, panicking for just a moment when no one knew where America and GoGo were before the two girls hobbled their way into Medical with only two good legs between them, though they were both grinning widely as they were regaling their tales of battle.

Everyone in Tahiti had been accounted for, but several of the others — including victors and stylists — were still missing. Coulson had people looking, but not everyone had made it to the checkpoints, and it was still unclear whether that meant they had been killed or simply waylaid.

There were reports coming in from around the district not only from the Hydra swarm that had leveled their camp but also from the fights that the lumberjacks had put up — and as a result, several areas in the district had been bombed out and needed medical help. Apparently, Hydra hadn't been sure where exactly to hit and had gone for several of the most likely targets.

Coulson was on the radio for hours with May and Hill coordinating the relief efforts, ordering new equipment for the doctors and labs — though he wasn't sure where to send it yet. He was generally sticking close to the medical setup so he could make sure all the incoming kids were going to make it, too. A few more than Logan had come in with more serious injuries, including Sam — who had been shot out of the sky in his flight suit — and Noh — who had been shot in the stomach and told Jubilee while the morphine was kicking in that she now had a scar to tease him about.

Both Natasha and Clint had come in badly burned, as they'd been running the evacuation and making sure everyone got out of the burning buildings.

But it wasn't all bad news. The Hudsons had made it out safe and sound, and when Kate had reunited Josh with Mac and Heather, it was the picture of a perfect reunion as all the kids went to snuggling him — thankful that the littlest of the Hudson kids had managed to make it safe and sound.

By the time everyone that had been in the camp was accounted for and being treated, the smoke was starting to clear, though the question on everyone's minds was obvious. They didn't know where to go except back to Fury's secret base. But after Creed had violated that place, no one wanted to go back, particularly not when Creed was still loose.

Their aircraft were obliterated — that which hadn't gotten airborne — and Hill had no plans to send more until they were secured with a plan on where the Tahiti kids and victors were going to go.

As he thought it over, Coulson kept one eye on Logan. Now that the surgery was over, he was simply waiting for the young man to start to stir, and as soon as he did, he pulled a curtain around him and had a very quiet, very private conversation with Logan and Mac — keeping everyone else back

Kurt and Skye were watching the curtain for quite a while, unable to hear what was going on — outside of the fact that Logan's low rumble seemed to be answering Coulson's murmured questions. Neither of them were exactly pleased when the curtain opened up to reveal a very pale Logan sitting up and starting to stiffly button up a shirt over tightly-wrapped bandages around his middle.

"You shouldn't be going anywhere," Kurt blurted out. "You need to stay in bed."

"I won't be long," Logan promised. "An' I'm takin' backup." He tipped his head toward Coulson and Mac. "See you in an hour or so. Probably not wandering out into the woods to die."

"Logan—"

But Logan waved Kurt off and leaned heavily on Mac as they headed out, without further explanation. There were a few other voices of protest, but Logan was concentrating too hard on getting out of the medical wing to worry much about what they were saying. He had a job to do.

It took a long time to get to where they were going, and a few times Coulson had to look at Mac to make sure Logan wasn't delirious in his directions.

Even Mac seemed a little worried, hissing out curses to Logan's instructions like, "Why are we going through the woods? Why not down the street, are you nuts?"

Answered always by Logan's soft rumble. "I know we have wounded. We gotta go the back way. No, damnit. _The back way._ "

But it wasn't long before they'd reached their destination, and to Coulson's surprise, there was very little discussed before he and Mac simply turned around and left Logan behind to get the rest of the group.

Once they knew where they were going — and the proper way to get there — it was a fairly quick walk for the two men without having to go slow to accommodate Logan's injury. But when they returned — missing one small victor — they were bombarded with questions. It wasn't just questions from Skye and the rest of the awesomes; the rest of the victors were concerned, as well as a few of the others that had seen them leave with Logan.

"We don't have time to answer all your questions right now; everything will become clear once we get into our new location," Coulson called out over the top of them. "But for now, we need to get moving. The weather is changing, and the last thing I want is for anyone to be caught out when the blizzard hits."

The snow had been falling more and more heavily as the day had worn on, and by the time they all mobilized, the path that Logan had led them down was all but obscured with fresh snow. It was snowing enough — and dark enough — that it wasn't until they were nearly to the big house on the hill that any of them even could see the lights in the windows through the snow.

When they got inside the massive building, they were greeted by an older woman who looked to be all business. "I'm , I'm the head of affairs here. I've been told to be sure you are all looked after. You've all been through a terrible ordeal," she said, worrying her hands as she looked them over. "I've got a spot for your medical people — anything else you need, just ask. We've been told to provide whatever we can, and we're _happy_ to have you."

"You're sure we're not… intruding or something?" Gwen asked, goggling as she looked around the place.

"Not at all," the woman replied with a little frown.

"Well, okay… I guess… thanks?" Miles offered, with an expression similar to Gwen's. "That's really nice of you to let us take over your place."

"Please, follow Mr. Kenneth," the woman said. "He'll show you to the rooms. I'm Mrs. Hopkins, by the way. I handle all of the house's affairs. If you need anything at all, let me or one of the others know. You'll find us easy to spot."

Both of the staff members looked to be just a bit older than Coulson, and Mr. Kenneth was quick to take them through the big house and up the stairs. "All the rooms are open but the one at the end of the hall down the left. Breakfast is at seven. Sleep well." He gestured to the hallway that went both directions. It was ornately decorated, with intricately carved trim, and held doors on both sides of the hall.

"What's … what's at the end of the hall?" Peter asked, too curious to keep it to himself.

"That's the master's suite," Kenneth replied with a pleasant smile before he stepped back to let the kids pick their rooms.

"Well alright then," Peter said, shaking his head a bit to himself, though now that it was clear this was where they'd be _staying_ for a while, it became a bit of a race to claim rooms among those that were still up and walking — and a race to claim rooms for their friends in medical. Kate was sure to point out that the Hawks needed rooms on the same hall, and then Peter made sure Miles got situated nearby as well, claiming spider privilege…

There wasn't much that they'd been able to salvage from the fires, but there were a few important things — Kurt's Bible, Pepper's tablet, Aunt May's picture album… the things that the kids had grabbed and held dear. But other than that, they were mostly starting over, so the well-decorated rooms seemed almost entirely foreign.

Kate and Kurt had managed to snag a room with a four-poster queen and a lovely view of the lawn — though the view was hard to take in when the snow was coming down the way it was. They were just across the hall from Peter and Gwen, and they weren't actually too far from the master suite, as it happened — though they hadn't done that on purpose. It was more that Kamala had picked a room on one end of the house, and in the interest of keeping as far away as possible from the wrath of Kamala's family, Miles took a room on the other side of the house, and Peter went with him… and then Kate and Kurt followed.

"This is pretty much the best place yet," Kate said with a little grin.

"Pretty much?" Kurt asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, you have to admit, it's a slight step down from a totally separate cabin," she teased. "Our neighbors are much closer this time around."

Kurt laughed and shook his head at her. "It's a well-built house," he pointed out. "I don't think we have to worry."

"You say that now, but I've heard Clint snore, and I'm pretty sure we'll be able to hear him from the other end of the house," she laughed.

"And yet you were the one to insist he take the room next door," Kurt laughed.

"Well, yeah. Gotta keep the Hawks together." She shrugged. " _And_ I kept the room next door open for Skye and Logan. You know. Keep the _whole_ team together."

"Where is Skye anyway?" Kurt asked with a soft smile. "She disappeared after we arrived…"

"Probably went to find her space heater," Kate laughed. "And smack him for trying to turn himself into a sword rack."

Kurt shook his head at that as he wrapped his arms around Kate from behind and rested his chin on her shoulder, both of them watching the snow out the large window. "It was … well. It worked," he said, though he couldn't stop the smile as he added, "And it was an excellent swordfight."

"Imp," she accused him, laughing. "That's all you care about is swashbuckling."

"It keeps life interesting," Kurt defended, smiling ever wider at her accusation. "And I thought you liked the swashbuckling."

"I do," she said, laughing to herself. "But with you it's like… a lifestyle."

"You'd best get used to it, then, _liebchen_ ," he teased. "You did agree to marry me, after all."

* * *

Skye was pretty well tired out by the time she'd exhausted all of the options for trying to find her space heater.

"You really ought to just go to bed," May said. "You can explore tomorrow."

"Well, I _would_ , if I knew where someone put my space heater," Skye grumbled with her arms crossed over her chest. "He's not in medical… or in any of the rooms…."

May let out a breath. "He's in _his_ room."

Skye spun to face her. "No, seriously. I've checked them all."

"Obviously, you haven't."

"Well, if there are secret passages — and there probably are — that's just playing dirty, and I can't be expected to _find him_ in this _maze of a house_."

May let out a heavy sigh. "Upstairs, down the hall, to the left," she said, shaking her head.

"No," Skye said slowly, "that's the room Kate and Kurt picked out for us, but he's not there."

"No," May said just as slowly. " _All_ the way down the hall."

At that, Skye stopped and slowly turned May's way. "Wait… what?"

"I thought you knew," May replied. "Don't you know where you are?"

"I wasn't paying attention when I was, you know, in the middle of a _blizzard_ trying to help move all the tech with Fitzsimmons?"

"This is the Howlett estate," May explained. "For as closely as you watched those Games, I'm surprised you didn't recognize it from the family interview. Go. Find your man. Warm up."

Skye stared at May as it took a moment for it to properly sink in before she let out a sort of disbelieving laugh and rushed off up the stairs to go find the master suite, slipping inside with an expression that not even she could fully place as she found Logan there, stretched out in bed.

"This place," she said, "is massive."

"Just now figurin' that out?" he asked tiredly. "Not very observant, director."

"It's massive, and I spent, like, the whole afternoon searching _all of it_ , and here you are in the master bedroom in a huge bed I could have been _sharing_ with you this whole time!"

"Not too late for that. I thought someone'd point you the right way," he said. "Seeing as I'm … still drugged. Barely heard anyone comin' in."

"Well, nobody told me," Skye said. "And we're gonna have to tell Kate and Kurt, because they're saving us a room next to theirs. I mean, it's not that far, but still."

"They'll figure it out," he muttered before he waved her over. "Now hush."

She shook her head but climbed in next to him all the same, curling into his side. He seemed to relax a little with her there, and he let out a long, deep breath. "When you're not so drugged, you and I are gonna have to have a talk about how to sheath a sword properly," she added in a grumbly undertone. "Don't think you're off the hook for _that_ either."

"I was _going_ for intimidation factor. Pretty sure I might have intimidated Kurt a little, though."

"You got a sword in…. you know what? Just… don't do stupid stuff like that anymore, okay?"

"Not like I planned it out," he grumbled back before he kissed the top of her head. "And it worked anyhow."

"It did," she had to admit. "But still."

It was quiet for a moment before he had to tease. "It just means that I gotta stay in bed."

She had to pause and laugh at that. "Okay. So there _is_ a silver lining," she said, nuzzling into him a little more. "I'll give you that, at least."

* * *

Remy had come along with the group more or less to make sure that Ororo and the sweet little Kamala he'd carried out were going to be alright — but he had not at all been prepared for the new digs these SHIELD fighters were moving into.

He threw out his arms with a light laugh. "Now, how come all de SHIELD hideouts ain't dis nice?" he teased Ororo, who just chuckled at him and shook her head.

But… when it was clear that the powers that be were too distracted to arrest him or put another one of those devices on his foot, Remy switched from admiring the house to simply slipping through it to pocket a few shiny trinkets and head out. He'd make tracks while he still could and put his first — and _only_ — arrest behind him as soon as humanly possible.

He was almost out the door when a familiar voice asked, very quietly and gently, "Are you planning to freeze to death in a blizzard? You really want to leave that badly?"

He spun in place to see that Betsy was there, watching him with her arms crossed, and he broke into a little smile despite himself on seeing her. "Remy don' stay where he ain't wanted, _cher_ ," he told her. "And he don' stay where people gon' put a blinkin' and beepin' lil' ting on his foot so he cain't go nowhere."

"It might help to talk to someone before you decide you're not wanted," Betsy replied. "And I'm sure you can't go anywhere until Agent May has a word with you anyhow." She smiled lightly. "I know she wants to talk to you."

"Dat's exactly why it time to leave," Remy said.

"Are you scared, Mr. LeBeau?"

"Jus' got a healthy respect for strong women, me," he teased with a grin so wide it turned into a chuckle.

"Stay a little longer," she said, smiling in spite of herself.

"Ain't gon' go far, _cher_ ," he promised. "Just ain't gon' get arrested neither."

"So you don't want to play," she said, nodding. "Well. I don't stick around if I have to chase."

"Now, dat ain't fair, _cher_ ," he said, starting to laugh. "You best warn a person 'fore you pull sometin' like dat. Go from stabbin' to flirtin' in de blink of your pretty long eyelashes."

"I could say the same to you," she countered. "No warning."

"Wouldn'ta left witout sayin' goodbye to Stormy," he promised. "Jus' scoutin' de path." He paused and looked her over. "So, you here to drag ol' Remy to Miss Melinda May?"

"No," she replied, shaking her head lightly. "But if you were to take off, it would only make her angry. And she might tip off our host, who … is a bit stabbier than I am." She gave him a significant look and crossed her arms.

"Now, see," Remy said, shaking his head lightly, "what ol' Remy gotta do to get outta de … it ain't even a jail, _cher_. What you call it when you locked in wit all dis pretty?" he teased.

"I don't know, but you seem to want out all the same," she replied before she turned to leave.

"Betts," he called out to her, and when she paused, he took in a breath and let it all out at once. "Didn' mean to leave it like we did," he said.

"Hard to believe when you only have your mind on running out into the snow," she countered. "Unless you're just scared of me."

"Now, _cher_ ," he said, leaning against the wall. "Remy ain't scared of your gorgeous self."

She arched one eyebrow and gave him a look. "Then prove it and stick around for a while. Because from where I'm standing, you're ready to run off with your tail between your legs. Again."

Remy shook his head as his tone turned suddenly softer and gentler. "Ain't running from you, _cher_. Jus' don' wanna be in a cage is all."

She gestured around them and gave him a little smile as she crossed the space to rest her hand on his shoulder. "Look around. No bars. No armed guards. Barely any SHIELD agents around, and no one has put another very ugly anklet on you. You're not caged," she pointed out.

He grinned at her, his head tipped to the side. "You gon' stab me again if I stay?" he teased.

"That depends entirely on if you make me question your intentions," she replied. "And if you actually _try_ to get to know these people. I think they'll surprise you."

Remy laughed and picked her hand up off his shoulder to kiss the ends of her fingers. " _Cher_ , if you don' know my intentions by now…."

"You have some catching up to do," she told him. "Because I really don't anymore."

He let out a sigh. "Whatchu wan' Remy to say, _cher_? Ain't done nuttin' since I left but what I always done. Find a lock and get tru it."

"Right," she said, nodding her head. "Disappear and expect the same warm welcome … maybe I'll have to lock something up for you to work toward."

"Could be fun," he said with a crooked, teasing grin.

"Oh, and you might want to empty your pockets.… I wasn't kidding. Our host will come after you if you try too much. Storm said you wouldn't steal from our friends."

"Dat's true," Remy said with a slight shrug. "Didn't say I wouldn't steal from de others."

"Well, this is Logan's house. So. You've been warned."

"Ah." He chuckled a bit and then held up both hands. "So, you gon' search me, _cher_?" he asked.

She looked him up and down and tipped her head to the side as she pretended to think it over. "Not on the first date."

He laughed outright at that before he slipped both hands in his pockets and produced a few sparkly trinkets. "Well, you caught me out, _cher_ ," he laughed.

"You're really not _that_ sneaky about it," she pointed out.

"Wasn't plannin' on bein' around for de review," he countered.

"How else would you ever _improve_ though unless you got feedback?" she teased.

"Well, dat mebbe true," he admitted. He set the trinkets down on a table stand and straightened the collar of his coat. "You gon' take me in now? Seems you an' Stormy de only ones who can."

"Do you want me to?" she asked. "Because I think Agent May is securing things … since she asked me to show you to your room." She smiled broadly. "You're next door to my brother — for now."

"Someone got to talk to de person in charge o' de seatin' arrangements," he said.

"Be nice and maybe that will change," she replied.

"You ever know me to be anytin' but?" he asked with a grin.

She took his offered arm and shook her head. "We'll leave the definitions open for now."

He covered her hand with his and smiled as he let her lead the way down the residential hall. When they got down to his room, she gave his arm a little squeeze. "See you in the morning?"

"It look like it," he said with a nod.

She turned and started to walk away, though she did steal a peek over her shoulder at him— and when he closed the door behind himself, he quickly realized that he wasn't alone.

"Oh, dat's a dirty trick," he said when he saw May waiting for him there.

May kept the smirk under control as she gave him a once over. "Tell me your side of what happened earlier today."

"Which part o' dis whole mess you gettin' at, Miss Melinda?" he asked as he took an easy seat without taking his gaze off of her. "Whole lotta tings happened."

"I'm most interested in what happened during the invasion," she admitted.

"Ah," he said with a little nod. "You mad 'bout de leash. Well, Remy slip it no problem…"

"Not at all," she replied. "I was happier to hear how you'd taken care of Kamala." May shrugged. "The anklet didn't really do anything anyhow. Fury likes to be dramatic."

"So it jus' beep an' tingle for nuttin."

May nodded and finally smirked slightly at him. "Got you to behave for five minutes."

"Well, death threat do dat to a man," Remy pointed out easily.

"You seem well enough behaved right now," she pointed out.

"You sound so surprised, Miss Melinda," he said.

"After the little favor you did for Hydra and Essex, I didn't think you _could_ care about the kids here. I'm glad to see that I was wrong on that count."

"Now, lissen," Remy said, leveling a finger her way with a small glare. "Let's get one ting straight. Dat weren't no _favor_ , an' you an' I know it."

"Seeing as you've refused to tell anyone about what happened, I've had to draw my own conclusions. So outside of a big fat 'nuh-uh' from you, I think I'll stick with what I have testimony and evidence for."

"So what you need my story for if you gon' just check de tape?" he asked, waving his hand. "You done seen it wit' your own eyes, Miss Melinda. Now, you gon' put a fancy lock on dis here door or what? Seein' as you got it in your pretty head ol' Remy workin' for Hydra anyhow."

"I didn't say that I believed that now," she replied. "We've had enough trouble with kids getting their heads turned inside out, blackmail, you name it. I just want to know which category you fall into."

"Jus' real unlucky," Remy said with a tired sigh.

"Maybe another time then," she replied. She straightened up and gave him a more businesslike expression. "Ground rules: don't do anything to get yourself stabbed. Be nice to the staff, and no. stealing."

"Believe it or not, Miss Melinda, I already done sorted dat out wit' Stormy."

"Then the only other thing I have to say is thank you. For doing what you did in that firefight."

Remy looked honestly surprised as he blinked at her. "Well, you welcome," he said haltingly. "Jus'... didn' wanna see someone so sweet an' _petit_ get hurt 's all."

"You might want to reconsider your stance on SHIELD then," she said. "It's not the same SHEILD that you were dealing with before."

"You payin' de kids now," he said.

"Part of it, yes," she agreed. "But it's not as militaristic as it was either."

"Why you want Remy anyhow?" he asked honestly. "You cruisin' for a tief and a traitor for a reason?"

"Like you have the corner market on that stigma," she said dryly. "You have skills that we might be able to find a use for — legally. And those little kids can always use one more person watching out for them. They're hot-headed. And eager to fight."

Remy grinned at that. "Dey good kids," he said. "Don' none of 'em deserve anytin' dat happen in dis war — or before it."

"So help us end it," she replied. "Might even score yourself some points with your little purple-haired model."

"You tellin' _Remy_ how to score points wit' a pretty girl, Miss Melinda?"

She smirked a little wider. "If I see someone in need of help …"

"Den you let me know, and I help 'em."

"That too," she replied without missing a beat.

"See you 'round, Miss Melinda," he said as he kicked off his boots and made himself comfortable.


	36. Settling In

**Chapter 36: Settling In**

* * *

 _February 21_

 _Howlett Estate_

* * *

After a night spent at the new house, Kurt and Kate had headed down to where the medical setup was — not just because Claire had insisted Kurt change the bandages where Strucker had stabbed him at least every day but because that was where they expected to find Logan, who they knew was also nursing his wounds from the Strucker fight.

Only that wasn't the case at all.

When they asked Claire about it, she told them that he was in his room recovering from major blood loss — but seeing as they were right next door to the one they'd picked out for Skye ... they knew that simply wasn't true.

In fact ... they hadn't seen Skye all morning, either.

The house was big enough that Kate and Kurt spent most of the day looking — past Clint and Natasha teasing Miles about how far he was living from Kamala now; past Ororo already making friends with the cook; past Remy ignoring some threats Brian was throwing his way; past Cassie clearly in the middle of an extended game of hide and seek with the Hudson kids — until finally, they spotted Skye with an entire coffeemaker as well as a pair of mugs.

"Skye!" Kurt called out to her, and she turned to smile their way.

"Are you two lost already?" she teased. "I'm pretty sure that someone could draw you a map."

"No, but you were lost," Kurt said with a laugh. "We haven't seen you all day."

"I was curled up with my favorite guy," she defended. "I like your team and all, but you're not invited to that kind of thing."

"Okay, yeah, but where is he, anyway?" Kate said, making a bit of a face at the insinuation.

"In his room," she replied, trying not to smirk. "Actually resting for a change."

"Well, he did get run through," Kurt pointed out.

"And he was _severely_ disappointed, from what I understand," Skye said as she kept walking.

"Well, it's no fun to get stabbed," Kurt said diplomatically.

"No, that was only part of it," Skye said. "He had Viper ready to sign the divorce papers. Pen in her hand — and the alarms went off."

Kate stopped and stared, and Kurt swore quietly under his breath. "You're kidding."

"I wish," she replied, shaking her head. "He said the last thing she told him before the flash-bang went off in the room was 'never gonna happen'."

"Okay, well, seeing as she broke out, it's okay to just shoot her in the face now, right?" Kate said through gritted teeth.

"That's what _I'm_ sayin'," Skye said in a low tone.

"She's dead as soon as she shows up again, then," Kate said with a nod, draping an arm around Skye's shoulders. "I'll even shoot her with an exploding arrow just to be extra sure about it."

"That sounds like a totally solid plan," Skye agreed. "But maybe _after_ he heals up a little bit. He should see it."

Kate let out a sigh of longsuffering. "Can't we just get Fitz's dwarves to stream it to him? Why wait? She's _evil_."

Skye stopped dead in her tracks and turned Kate's way. "Do you _really_ think that would keep him in one place? You saw how it was. He should have stayed on a stretcher, but no — had to go traipsing through the woods."

"Yeah, but now he's not going anywhere. You and me, on the other hand…" Kate gestured between them. "Girl's night out of explosions and mayhem is all I'm saying."

"Totally different definition of 'shooters'... but sounds way more fun," she agreed.

"Now we just gotta find out where Viper _is_ ," Kate said with a heavy sigh.

"And wait for the blizzard to blow over."

"And find out where Logan's room is," Kate said. "Since only _you_ seem to be privy to that information. Where've you got him locked up?" she teased.

"Well," Skye said with a little smirk. "You were really close. The prince is in his tower." She tipped her head toward the big double doors at the end of the hall. "Want to open it up for me? Hands are a little full."

Kurt let out a laugh of disbelief. "Really?"

Skye just nodded. "Yeah, I think May thought it was funny to let me go wandering around looking last night."

Kurt and Kate both just had to shake their heads at that before they peeked into the room to find that, yes, Logan was there.

"So your place totally blows mine out of the water, snob boy," Kate called out to him.

"Not the first time I've heard that," he muttered tiredly. "Do I even want to know America's take on things?"

"Well, she doesn't know yet, but I assure you there will be jokes," Kate laughed.

"Fantastic," he said. "Can't wait to see what she tacks on this time. Girl's gonna run out of breath insultin' me."

"Well, there may be a 'madame' in there now. Place is big enough to run something like that," Kate giggled.

"Oh," he said with a little smirk. "Perfect. What're you after now, troublemaker? Or did ya just follow the coffee pot?"

"We were wondering where you were," Kurt put in with a little smile. "You disappeared after we got here, and not everyone has been let in on the secret."

"I came in with Coulson to set it all up ahead of the move," Logan explained. "Didn't see the sense in walking back with 'em, and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have made it there and back without being carried anyhow."

"And we wouldn't have asked you too; it's just that we had no idea where you were," Kurt said.

"Well, now you know," Logan said with a little gesture to the room. "Just … here."

"So that means _you're_ the one who arranged for this?" Kurt asked.

"Well … it _is_ mine," he pointed out. "Might as well make use of it."

"I mean, I know you said you grew up rich, but this is _not_ what I was picturing," Kate said, shaking her head as she looked around the place. "Logan, your house is, like… the size of my whole district."

"You're exaggerating," he said dryly.

"Not by much when you count the grounds," she shot back.

"I … have no way to measure that," he admitted. "And it doesn't really matter, does it?"

"No, but I'm just saying," Kate said.

"It really is a lovely place," Kurt said, his unbandaged arm around Kate.

"Old man died a while back," Logan explained, propping himself up better with a wince. "Had to do somethin' with it … still don't know what, but I figure housin' half of SHIELD and bein' a decent person would piss him off plenty if he was around to see it, so …"

"It's a lovely idea," Kurt said, his grin widening. "It feels more like a _home_ than anywhere else we've lived."

"First time for everything, I guess," Logan said as he watched Skye set up the coffee and tipped her head for them to sit down and join them for a minute. "You just visiting or are you raiding the coffee?"

"Just saying hello," Kate said with a smile. "We've got a coffee pot in our place."

"Anyone on our side get killed?"

"No," Kurt assured him. "Sam was shot down, but he's fine now… Clint and Natasha were burnt… a few injuries, but nothing life-threatening, thankfully."

"What's Coulson up to?" Logan asked. "Plannin' on layin' low for a while, I'm guessin'."

"Yes, he doesn't want to draw attention to our new home," Kurt said. "And you know, even with Viper's escape, Hydra is down two of its leaders."

"Gonna have to add one more to the list," he replied.

"Yes, Kate and Skye have already decided they're going to blow up Viper."

"Oh no, I wanna stab her in the face," Logan said as Kurt took a seat near Logan with a look of pure troublemaking.

"We'll see what happens when we get there," Kurt said diplomatically before he smirked. "You never know; it may be a group effort."

* * *

 _February 24_

 _Howlett Estate_

* * *

Logan was still feeling pretty sore, but he was absolutely _done_ with taking painkillers and trying to sleep. He skipped the last dose of painkillers that Claire tried to push on him and had her wrap his dressings tighter so he could head down and see how much everyone had actually settled in.

It took him some time to get there, but the bulk of the group was there all the same, and he didn't see anyone really pay him any notice when he got himself a cup of coffee and made his way over to an empty section of the long dining room table.

That is, until America dropped into the seat next to him with a _huge_ smirk. " _Madame_ ," she said cordially as she kept her attention on eating her pancakes.

He turned toward her slowly and gave her a raised eyebrow look. "Now, if that was true, doesn't that mean everyone would have to get to work?"

"Thought that was the reason for the shared rooms," she said.

"So … you think you'd get _paid_ to sleep with who you _want_ to be with?" he asked, playing along for the time being. "Sounds kush."

"Well, with _you_ running things…" she said with a crooked, wicked grin.

"Where should I send Gogo's bill?"

"You know where she lives," America pointed out.

"So what? I gotta kick her out when she can't afford her own tab? Ha." He pointed her way with one finger. "Oh. She's got an open tab too. By the way."

"Of course," America said with a little laugh.

"Probably oughta make her settle up before it goes too far, though," Logan said. "I know she's not getting paid like she used to."

"True, but I don't care about money," America chuckled.

"Good to know," Logan replied, smirking to himself when GoGo joined America and he leaned forward to talk to her quietly. "America said I should have you settle up your tab, seeing as apparently, she's decided I'm a whoremonger now."

"Oh, I'll have to take out a loan," GoGo said with a sigh as she sat down beside America.

"Well … I hope not," he said, shaking his head as one of the cooks slipped a plate of eggs in front of him with a disapproving expression. "By my accounts … since Valentines... you're in about twenty bucks."

America gaped at Logan openly for a long moment before she let out a frustrated sort of noise and smacked him hard as GoGo burst into laughter.

"What?" Logan laughed. "You said yourself you didn't care about the money."

"That is _so_ not the point here," she said as she smacked him all over again.

Logan was chuckling as she kept hitting him. "It kind of is …" he defended. "I mean … only person that ever paid up front is dead. Kind of kills the market."

"You," America said, still hitting him, "are just … ugh!"

"What now?" he asked, finally lifting his arm up to keep her from hitting him in the face.

"Just let her get it out of her system," GoGo said without even looking up anymore.

"What's the problem?" Logan asked, honestly not getting what had her tweaked.

"I _know_ who you're talking about," America said, finally falling into a chair. "And I didn't even get to kick him where I wanted to! You took all the fun!"

With that, he finally got it and started to nod. "It was a quick mission," he told her. "Fury went on it himself."

"You should have asked me," she said.

"Wasn't my call, or I would have," he told her. "If it makes you feel any better, I only spent about fifty cents of lead on him."

"I would've left bootprints," she grumbled.

"Well… it's done."

"Yeah, I know." She let out her breath and glared his way. "I just hate it when someone fights my fights. I _want_ those fights."

"Plenty of other fights still," Logan promised. "Seein' as I went out of my way and started a war to protect your _virtue_." He gave her a little smirk. "You wanna make me a widower, I won't hold it against you if you get to her before I can."

"Never liked her anyway. She was _not_ the girl from Two I wanted to dance with."

"I don't want to dance with either of 'em," Logan grumbled.

"Well, I have a weakness for blondes," America teased until GoGo kicked her under the table.

"Yeah, just watch yourself with that one," Logan muttered. "The redhead's a better bet."

"The one who's involved with a Hawk?" America asked, then paused, smirked, and corrected herself. "Or _should_ be?"

"Still tapdancin' around that?" Logan asked as he turned to watch Clint and Natasha still acting like they weren't together.

"Yeah." America leaned back and chuckled. "At least the Better Hawkeye knows how to seize the moment."

Logan nodded, still watching the former district partners. "Right," he said slowly as he turned her way. "Like every five minutes now."

"Hey, I tried taking it up with the other Hawk, but she was all 'Clint doesn't want to get hurt again' and I laughed. So. Hard." She saluted Logan with her mug. "The boy lives in bandages. I don't know what to tell you."

"Just talkin' to the wrong one," Logan said before he got to his feet and shot GoGo a smile. "I'll expect cash, now. Singles are fine," he teased with a look America's way before he headed over to catch Kurt before he could disappear into his room again. "You look like you need somethin' to do."

"Well, I was going to find Kate and see how long it takes her to wake up this morning," he teased lightly.

"Let her sleep," he said. "I got _one_ room that I don't think anyone's found yet."

"I think there are a few of those, _mein Freund_ ," Kurt said with a smile before he laughed and draped his arm around Logan's shoulders. "Lead on."

The two of them headed down the hall — one that honestly hadn't been used by the group at large yet. It got quieter the further they went, and it wasn't too terribly long before Logan stopped and simply pulled the pocket doors open to reveal a nicely-sized library filled with books and little nooks to sit and enjoy them. "Since you had to borrow one from the other house..."

Kurt stopped to stare around the library before he broke into a little chuckle and wrapped both arms around Logan in a hug. " _Danke,_ " he said warmly. "Thank you, Logan. Really."

"Not much else to do when you're stuck in here," he pointed out. "Might take you a little while to work through all of this, though."

"Just a little while," Kurt agreed, still chuckling. He took a step back and looked around the library before he moved to the nearest bookshelf to start looking through the titles. "I'll have to take a few of these to Kate. She's loved the mystery novels Charles had."

"Help yourself," he replied. "Doubt they've gotten much use in a while."

"Thank you, Logan," Kurt said, grinning his way. "For all of this ... your home… all of it."

"Like you wouldn't do the same?" he shot back before he headed for the door again. "I'll see you later, Elf."

* * *

 _February 27_

 _Howlett Estate_

* * *

It was cold outside, and the snow had been steadily falling for days now. It was a good time to just snuggle in and spend the morning waking up as slowly as possible — and that was precisely what Clint planned to do.

He had one arm resting across Natasha's waist — not on purpose; he'd just woken up that way. She was halfway tucked into a ball, but with her back to his chest and her legs tangled up in his below the covers.

He wasn't sure if Natasha was still coming to his room because she needed an anchor after all that time spend in the Capitol or if it was just habit at this point. Five months later, and not a night had gone by that she hadn't found her way under his covers, even if he wasn't there with her. He'd come home from enough missions to find her curled up there that he didn't even bother checking anymore when he got back, just climbed into the side he knew she wouldn't take.

He wasn't sure if _she_ knew if she was coming to his room for an anchor anymore, either. They didn't talk about it. They didn't want to. If they did, it might mean upsetting the status quo.

But Clint wouldn't complain, either. Not when it meant that he had Natasha every morning anchoring him too, after all that had happened. He rested his forehead in the spot just between her shoulder blades for a long moment, still taking the opportunity to wake up slowly. He knew she was awake as well from the rise and fall of her breathing.

She wasn't going to say anything, and he knew it.

When they were through pretending they weren't awake, Natasha finally stretched, her arms and legs taking up the whole bed.

"Coffee?" she asked him as she went to the dresser and started to look through it for something to wear.

"Please," he said with a nod.

She smirked his way as she watched him curl back up under the covers — she had always been better at dealing with the cold — before she pulled on a warm sweater and ran a quick brush through her hair.

They did the same thing most mornings. She liked the idea that people thought she was bringing him coffee, as if that was the first time they'd seen each other all morning. Clint didn't really care if other people knew they were sharing accommodations, but for some reason, Natasha did.

She pulled her hair back into a ponytail — it was finally long enough to do that again — and slipped out the door, very nearly running right into Logan in the hallway.

He gave her a quick once over, one eyebrow raised as he started to button up his shirt. "Wrong door, wasn't it?"

"I wasn't coming to visit _you_ ," she said with a smirk.

"I know," he replied. "But you told _me_ you weren't _interested_ in your little purple teddy bear."

Natasha raised a single eyebrow before she broke into a little chuckle. "That's _not_ what's happening here."

"Uh huh," he said, obviously not believing her as he faced forward, calling her out without saying it outright.

"I needed an anchor after the Capitol," she told him. "And he needs someone to be there for him after everything he's been through too."

"Sure, sure," he said, nodding. "Whatever you say."

"Do you really think if we were sleeping together he would keep _quiet_ about it?" she asked sharply.

"I think he'd do anything you told him to," Logan countered. "And I never said you were doing anything _but_ sleeping."

"You didn't say so out loud," Natasha said, her arms crossed over her chest. "And that's just _not_ what's happening."

"Right," he replied, still obviously not buying one word of it. "I'm sure he's totally over you."

She gave him a dry look. "That's not fair, Logan."

"Neither is using him for a pillow if you don't plan to take it anywhere," Logan pointed out.

"You let Jubilee snuggle with you," she pointed out.

"I have. A little bit at a time, never entirely overnight, and not _alone_." He leaned her way. "And _not_ every night since the Capitol."

"Be fair, Logan," she said, this time in an entirely different tone. "You know I _needed_ that anchor."

"Sure, at first," he agreed. "But if you _still_ need it ... then Charlie can't get back here quick enough."

"He's dealing with a much tougher case. I think a little coping mechanism isn't going to hurt anyone," she said with a wave of her hand.

"Sure," he said, the tone the same as before.

"Oh, why do you even care?" she asked, irritated.

"Why does it bug you so much that I do?"

"Because I don't want ... " She shook her head.

"Of course you do," he replied in a tone that said how clearly wrong she was. "Quit tryin' to lie to _me_. You're lousy at it."

"You're the only person in Marvel who thinks that," she pointed out.

He shook his head. "Oh, no, I'm not."

"Charles, maybe," she allowed.

"And on this? Not one person in this house — _in the whole of SHIELD_ — believes that story." He gave her a smirk. "And I'm not one of those hopeless romantic types."

She huffed at him. "Believe what you want," she practically bit out his way.

"Same to you," he countered.

She shook her head and turned on her heel to practically stalk away, clearly annoyed by the whole thing — and all while Logan just smirked after her.


	37. The Campfire Gang

**Chapter 37: The Campfire Gang**

* * *

 _February 29_

 _District Seven_

* * *

The snow storm had ramped up substantially overnight, and by morning, they were all well and truly snowed in. When they were on the first floor, there was simply no light unless it was electrical or firelight … or coming in from the upper part of the tall windows in the vaulted entry.

And as the day wore on, it just seemed to get darker and darker in the big house on the hill. And while Skye and Logan had managed to stay hidden — and _not_ in his big suite — Peter and Gwen had found solace in the kitchen, sipping on hot cocoa that the cook had set them up with as they watched the comings and goings of the staff. It was pretty much Peter's favorite place to be, anyway. The cook was _almost_ as good as Aunt May... though nobody could beat Aunt May.

That was also where Kate and Skye were headed while their boys tried to find someplace to poke each other with training swords.

"I just always feel weird coming in asking for stuff," Skye said under her breath to Kate; Kate had her arm draped around Skye's shoulders, their heads close together as they talked.

"Really?" Kate asked, totally taken aback. "They have _chocolate_ here, Skye. What's stopping you?"

"Oh, well..." Skye shrugged up both shoulders under Kate's arm. "I just don't think they… _approve_. Of our current … arrangement," she admitted, then dropped her voice even lower. "I've been getting looks."

"But _what for?"_ Kate asked. "You're, like, the cutest sweetheart… I mean, not including Cassie and Kamala and … okay, so there's a lot of cuties."

"Oh, ha ha," Skye deadpanned. "I don't know … it's just a feeling. And I don't know if it's helping or hurting that he just … keeps me close most of the time and has like, no qualms about showing affection publicly."

"Well it's certainly not cramping your style," Kate had to tease.

"I wasn't complaining about _that_ ," Skye half hissed. "Just … I don't know. They don't like me."

"They'll come around," Kate promised. "They seem to like just about everyone. I mean, except Remy… but that doesn't really count." She leaned in close. "Have you been caught stealing too?" she teased.

"I guess that depends on what I'm being accused of stealing. Have you heard what the staff calls Logan? And he doesn't correct them ... and he corrects everyone. It's weird."

Kate shrugged lightly. "I think you're talking to the wrong Tahiti kid, because everyone who worked for my dad called me Katherine, so…"

"But did they call you ' _our_ Katherine'?"

"No," Kate had to admit. "But you have to admit, it's so _adorable_ hearing them go on about 'our James.' He's… just so sweet. This place is _good_ for him."

"I hope so," Skye muttered. "Because I don't think we're going anywhere anytime soon."

"Yeah, I don't think so either," Kate said with a sigh. "Even after we get Viper…" She shook her head and then squeezed her friend around the shoulders. "But hey, you gotta make the most of it, right? Kurt and I were just saying when the snow lets up, we should wander the grounds, see the sights, maybe get Scott to help us carve out an arch or something... " She leaned in, eyes twinkling. "After all, we don't know how long we'll be before the war screws up something else. Might as well run with it."

"So … you two are going to hurry up and get married then?" Skye asked. "That … should be interesting."

"Skye, it's not that we're _hurrying_ ," Kate said, drawing herself up. "It's that we'd like to get married before one of us gets blown up, stabbed, or something else that we can't come back from."

"You should use the rose garden," the cook said suddenly as she brought over a pair of mugs for them — filled with hot chocolate. "It's perfect for weddings."

"That does sound nice, thanks," Kate said brightly.

The cook gave them a little smile, though she did give Skye a little longer look than she'd done for Kate before she headed back to what she'd been working on.

"See?" Skye muttered under her breath to Kate.

Kate shook her head lightly. "You're just dating ' _their James_ '," she reasoned. "That's probably what this is. The passive aggressive equivalent of bringing a shotgun to a meeting."

"Is that a big way of saying they're too nice to just say it outright?"

"Pretty much," Kate admitted. She clinked her hot chocolate mug with Skye's. "But if they _hated_ you, it would be worse. Trust me. You should've seen the way my maid handled my dad's girlfriends."

"That doesn't exactly fill me with confidence."

"Oh, right," Kate said, suddenly realizing her mistake. "No, no. These were total bimbos. You are _not_. These guys — they'll come around."

"Wow," Skye said, nodding slowly. "So … that's what it's like to watch someone dig a hole."

"Must look nice from the other side for once."

"In a weird way, it really doesn't," Skye said before she just had to grin at Kate. "But ... looking out the windows? I think we have some time before we get outside again."

"Time for you to prove you're not a bimbo and for me to talk Kurt into a wedding in the rose garden," Kate laughed.

"Yours should be easy," Skye pointed out. "But what the heck am I supposed to do about proving that I'm _not_ a bimbo?"

"Just be you!" Kate said as if it was obvious. "Logan obviously adores you, and you make him happy, and you're so _not_ trashy, so… let them get past the whole 'you're dating _our_ James' thing and get to know you." She leaned forward with a teasing glint in her eyes. "And maybe don't leave too much lacy underwear around for them to find. Might help."

"Oh my God, Kate," Skye replied, blushing brightly and covering her face with both hands.

Kate giggled delightedly. "You know it's tru-u-u-ue."

"It's not like _that_ ," Skye said, turning Kate's way wide eyed. "I'm just … terrible at picking up after myself." She paused and tipped her head to the side for a moment. "Shut up."

"I should solve mysteries for a living," Kate said airily. "That was too easy. Gimme something harder to figure out, like why Natasha even bothers to have her own room."

"You mean the one with no personal effects in it — and the bed that's _never_ been slept in?"

"Yes, that one exactly," Kate said, grinning.

"So … maybe a group activity for a change then," Skye said, nodding her head.

"That sounds like fun," Kate agreed, nodding along. "We could gather up the group… light a fire… maybe tell some ghost stories…"

"There's always a fire in Logan's room," Skye said. "He doesn't let it burn out. Said it'll get cold in there otherwise."

"And heaven forbid the space heater lets you get cold."

"Again … shut up."

"Never gonna happen and you know it," Kate said with a grin before she turned her attention to Peter and called out, "Hey, Pete! We're having a fireside party in the big suite. Wanna come?"

"The Hudson suite or the ' _Master James_ ' suite?" Peter called back with a huge grin.

"The second one," Kate said, giggling madly.

"You're both terrible," Skye said, shaking her head.

"Oh, sure, when _I_ say it, I'm terrible, but when the sweet staff members say it, they don't get death glares and 'shut up Petey's," Peter said, grinning even wider. He hopped down from the seat and glanced over at the cook. "Hey, so ... what's good for fireside parties, do you think? I mean, this cocoa is _great,_ but I can only have so much of just chocolate and peppermint before it's too much of a really, really good thing?"

The cook glanced at him for a moment and had to smile his way. "I'll send dinner up for all of you," she replied.

Peter beamed. "Mrs. O'Malley, you are the _best_ ," he said sincerely as he helped Gwen hop down from the counter.

She grinned back at him and shook her head. "I'll make sure it comes around in about two hours then?"

"Please and thank you very much!" he said with a grin and a nod, one arm around Gwen's shoulders as the whole group of them headed out of the kitchen and made their way up toward Logan's suite.

"I can't believe he gets away with _everything_ ," Skye muttered as they climbed the stairs.

Kate grinned and dipped her head low so she could whisper to Skye, "It's because the staff think he's, like, twelve," before she fell apart into giggles.

"They're not exactly wrong," Skye pointed out.

"Little tall for twelve," Kate snickered. "Thirteen, maybe."

"Twelve and a half on a growth spurt," Skye giggled.

"You know I can hear both of you, right?" Peter said, shaking his head. "And besides, Kate, I'm _older_ than you, so what's that make you?"

"Mmm," Kate said, shaking her head as she closed one eye and sized Peter up.

"Still more mature," Skye coughed.

"Well, _I_ was just thinking I haven't seen any records proving he's as old as he says he is…" Kate said with a twinkle in her eye. "I think he's been lying this whole time to keep up with the cool kids."

"Makes sense," Skye said with a little shrug. "But I'm sure you can see the official records when he goes off for _paperwork_ next time."

Both Peter and Gwen looked flushed at that as Kate fell apart giggling. "You broke them, Skye. We only wanted Peter — we _like_ Gwen," she said between gasps.

"She'll forgive me sooner or later," Skye said with a huge grin. "Especially when I'm so so right. I mean, you don't want to let down Aunt May and Mrs. O'Malley. They need a spider-wedding."

"I bet we could get the stylists to help us decorate it so the lace looks like spiderwebs," Kate said, the grin only widening more.

"Okay, how about we just stick with planning yours _first_ , Miss Too Excited About This," Peter cut in, bright red.

"But … what if she's angling for a _double_?" Skye asked. "It'd be perfect."

"I don't mind sharing," Kate agreed.

"No, no," Gwen said quickly. "You two should have your own day. And besides, you should be bothering _Steve_ , not us."

"Yeah," Peter said quickly. "Steve's the one with an actual ring and no date."

"She has a point," Skye said under her breath to Kate.

"She kind of does," Kate had to agree before she let out an exaggerated breath. "Alright, we'll get Steve settled first. _Then_ spider wedding," she said, sounding as if this was a horrible imposition.

"Steve first, then _you guys_ ," Peter corrected her.

Kate made a _tsk_ sort of sound in the back of her throat. "Please. We've got the rose garden. We'll beat Steve. He wants to do it at _home_."

"Makes sense though," Skye said. "They're both from Five … and he's probably got the spot all picked out, knowing him."

"True, true," Kate said, nodding along as the little group made its way up the stairs. "Knowing him, he's had his vows written since he was, what, fifteen?"

"Oh, easy," Skye agreed. " _Artist_. Emotional. Oh for sure."

"Now, Peggy on the other hand will probably write them the night before," Kate said, still grinning.

"No, she'll ad-lib on the spot."

"And heaven help us when we get to the best man speech," Kate laughed. "Five minutes of silence before he sits down. Does he _talk_? Jessica Jones said he did, but I don't believe it."

"He talks around Steve," Skye said. "I think he's still afraid everyone hates him."

"For what, getting brainwashed? Puh-lease," Kate said, waving the idea off. "Like that hasn't happened to at least two of our friends before."

"And both of them were the same way when they got back," Peter said.

"Well," Kate said, drawing herself up. "That settles it. I'm gonna have to find myself a Bucky and tell him to stop being stupid." She paused. "After our campfire, of course. I mean. Priorities."

"Which … should be interesting," Skye said. "Your priorities, that is."

"Campfire with the _original_ campfire gang?" Kate scrunched her nose up. "You act like there's anything else I could _possibly_ want to do more."

Skye gave her a raised eyebrow look before she nodded slowly. "Oh yeah … is this the first one you guys have had since getting back together?"

Peter nodded. "First one with everyone in one place," he said. "I mean, we've had to have fires on longer missions in the winter once or twice, but that was, like, at _most_ two of us at once."

"Seems like a pretty serious oversight," Skye pointed out.

"You'd think so," Gwen said with a little chuckle. "But then Wade tried to set up a campfire as part of a bid to get into the awesomes… and set off every fire alarm in the place."

"I was wet for _ever_ ," Peter said, shaking his head at the memory. "We couldn't get the sprinkler system to shut off, because… it was an actual _fire_."

"You know, you're just making me glad that I missed that fiasco," Skye said with a smirk.

"It's actually funnier in hindsight," Peter admitted.

"What are you all doing in here?" Kurt asked as he and Logan joined the little party both of them freshly cleaned up from their little adventure. "I could hear you down the hall."

At their entrance, Kate all but skipped over to throw her arms around Kurt's neck and kiss him. "We were just discussing the fact that you and I _need_ to get married in the rose garden. Mrs. O'Malley said so, and you _know_ that means it's lovely," she said with a huge grin on.

"Oh, is she the official wedding planner then?" Kurt asked.

"More or less," Logan replied. "Used to do that from time to time. So it sounds like it's set then. Congrats."

Kate beamed and stole another, longer kiss as Skye waved Logan over to where the rest of them were gathered by the fire. "Apparently, there haven't been any awesome campfires since the original," she told him with a smirk.

"Oh, come on," Logan said with a disbelieving look, sitting down near the fire on the floor. "There had to have been."

"Not with all _four_ of us," Peter said.

"Yeah, but the three of you had to have," Logan said, frowning.

"Actually…" Kate said as she came over with Kurt, both of them grinning. "I think Kurt had one with Pete during a winter mission…"

"And there was that time you and I got stuck outside Twelve…" Peter said, nodding.

"Never all three, though," Kate said, nodding decisively.

"So this is long overdue," Gwen finished, grinning shamelessly as she rested her head on Peter's shoulder.

"Is this a planned thing?" Logan asked as he stretched out a little bit.

"Not really," Kate admitted. "We were just down in the kitchen talking and then somehow, we wound up deciding to have a fireside meal…" She shrugged. "You know. As you do."

"As you do?" Logan said, propped up on one elbow. "Who?"

"Yes, doesn't everyone decide to eat off the floor by a bedroom fireplace?" Kurt teased.

"Savages," Logan muttered before he leaned back.

"Says the Wolverine," Kate shot back.

"Which is proof positive that _you_ have a problem."

She drew herself up with a twinkle in her eyes. "I," she said haughtily, "I am a high society girl. I _choose_ to eat off the floor by the fireplace."

"Savage."

"She _does_ think a bow and arrow is the best thing since they invented the wheel," Peter said with a smirk.

"Barbarian."

Kate laughed and turned to Kurt. "I can't tell — is that better or worse than a savage?"

"Considering the source, let's just take it as a complement," Kurt chuckled.

The little crew joked around for a long while when there was a soft knock on the door before Mrs. O'Malley stepped inside with a tray set up for the group. Her helper followed her with a second, smaller tray, and they brought it over to set on the table in the corner. "A little surprise for the lot of you," she said before she pointed at Peter. "No peeking right off, now."

Peter grinned and quickly put a hand on his heart. "Yes ma'am."

Logan was sure to thank them before he turned to Peter. "Have you been harassing her?"

" _No_ ," Peter said, shaking his head. "No way! She's sweet and she reminds me of Aunt May, I would _never_!"

"You better not," he warned. "She's been here longer than I've been alive."

"Which is not as old as it _sounds_ when you say it like that," Peter said almost before he could help it.

"And still a lot longer than you," Logan pointed out.

"Seeing as he's twelve and a half," Kate whispered Skye's way with a crooked grin.

The little group got up and helped themselves, joking around and swapping stories that they hadn't read in the files on each other. At first, it was little stories about missions that wouldn't have been in the debriefing, though somehow, they got on the topic of messing with Coulson after Kate told the others about Clint's amazing style of debriefing.

Which then prompted Skye to tell the story of how she joined SHIELD, to the utter amusement of everyone but Logan, who'd heard it before.

"No wonder people are worried about _his_ reputation," Kate had to tease. " _Terrorist_."

"Reformed," Skye argued, holding up both hands.

" _Professional_ ," Logan corrected. "Seeing as you get paid for it now."

"What he said," Skye agreed, pointing Logan's way with a crooked grin. "Besides, best arrest ever, right? I mean, a day later and I'm meeting Fitzsimmons…" She leaned back into Logan slightly. "Few months after that and I'm meeting victors…"

"Coulson tells it different," Logan said into her hair.

"Oh?" Kurt asked, intrigued. "And how does Coulson tell it?"

"He _doesn't_ ," Skye said, suddenly flushed.

"Ogling people, Skye," Logan said in a rumble. "Not very professional."

"I was _not_ ," Skye said, turning even redder.

"You _were_ ," Logan disagreed, though he was smirking. "We could ask Jubes. She saw better'n anyone did."

"We're _not_ asking Jubes," she said. "Jubes is biased because I picked the flannel."

"I ... kinda want to ask Jubes," Peter said.

Skye leveled her finger his way. "Just… don't. I totally and completely _accidentally_ walked into the room when she was trying to get him into a new shirt, okay? I wasn't trying to _purposefully_ find shirtless victors!"

"Jubes invited her into the discussion," Logan said, chuckling.

"And I gave her my honest opinion," Skye said.

"Which she'll never forgive you for."

"Well, she's just going to have to get over it, because I was honest about it," Skye grumbled, though she wasn't angry looking at all as he kissed the side of her head.

"So … it was a train thing then, huh?" Peter said. "Is that how long you two were … you know. Picking on each other?"

"The, uh, the _picking_ didn't start until after that," Skye admitted, pushing her hair behind her ear. "Tour isn't exactly the time…"

"By picking I meant flirting," Peter clarified.

"Um." Skye glanced up at Logan and flushed when he was absolutely no help. "No, no, I think… that started much later. He was… I mean. One very flustered SHIELD agent and a gentleman helping her not fall on her face in front of an evil Hydra spy does not constitute flirting."

"Okay, fair enough," Peter said, before he got to his feet and brought the second tray over. "Then … when _did_ the flirting start?"

"There's...debate," Skye said.

"Debate? Who started it?" Kurt asked.

"Her," Logan said without missing a beat

"Hey," Skye said. " _You_ were the one with… with the shirtlessness and the 'let's share a blanket for warmth' and the fires and the… and the… that was _you_."

"As you've pointed out before, the shirtless thing just happens. The blanket was picking — and _you_ offered."

"I was also drunk," she pointed out.

"Also your idea."

"It does sound like you started it," Kurt said with a smirk.

"Okay, this is a great debate, and everyone's enjoying watching the future director of SHIELD turn pink, but I have a question," Peter said.

"Future director with a sexual harassment suit," Logan muttered under his breath.

"Yes, okay, but that doesn't explain why Mrs. O'Malley brought up crackers and marshmallows and chocolate bars?" Peter gestured to the opened tray.

"Oh, she didn't," Logan said, shaking his head. "Little matchmaker."

"That… doesn't track," Gwen said, her head tipped to the side. "What ... I mean… it's just junk food?"

"S'Mores! You toast the marshmallows over the fire and put them with the chocolate and crackers," Skye said as she started to divvy out the ingredients. "Great idea, actually. All things considered."

"The trick is not making a mess out of yourself," Logan added. "Usually."

"Despite what Kate says, I _am_ old enough to eat food without making a mess," Peter grumbled good-naturedly.

"Takes all the fun out of it, Petey," Logan replied. "But go ahead and prove yourself wrong."

Peter looked dubiously Logan's way for a moment before he shrugged and put the marshmallow Skye had given him onto one of the skewers — though he was rewarded for his efforts by the marshmallow going up promptly in flames after only a moment.

"More subtle," Logan laughed while both he and Skye took their time with the job.

"Don't put it _in_ the flames," Kurt offered as his marshmallow was already turning a decent, light brown color.

"Yeah, the Elf gets it," Skye said — as between the three of them, they were making Peter look bad. She pulled the marshmallow out when it was a near-perfect golden brown and quickly set it on the chocolate before she squished it down with the graham cracker with an unmistakable smile. "See? Easy as it gets!"

It certainly looked that way, too. Both Logan and Kurt followed suit as Skye took a bite out of hers and promptly caught the drizzle of melted chocolate before it could hit her shirt. She was smirking to herself as she watched them all working on assembling their s'mores and elbowed Logan lightly, tipping her head toward the group with a troublemaking sparkle in her eyes.

He nodded lightly. "You know, these are a lot more fun when you feed them to your sweetheart," he said with a totally straight face that Skye never could have pulled off.

"You said you were supposed to try _not_ to make a mess, troublemaker," Kate accused him.

"If you can't do it, that's fine," he said with a shrug. "Just didn't figure you'd be afraid to even _try._ And for fear of getting messy. Jeez, Trickshot."

"That is _so_ not what's happening here," Kate said, rolling her eyes. "I'm just pointing out that you're being contrary."

"The messy commentary was really more for Parker — let's be honest," Logan said dryly.

Kate giggled at that. "True enough," she said, which earned a 'hey' from Peter as she smirked and put another marshmallow on her stick.

"You're the clutziest one here, Petey," Logan said. "It's not really picking if we're just pointing out the obvious."

" _I'm_ the clutziest…?" Peter shook his head. "No, no. I see what's happening. We're all just being biased because the real clutz and her matched set are split up. If we brought him in…"

"They aren't _here_ ," Logan pointed out. "Here. Right now. They're down necking in his room. Come on."

"They're really not, Logan — be nice," Kate said, shaking her head

"You don't know that," he said with a smirk. "Tasha's awful defensive about the whole thing."

"Yeah, I know, I've heard — but here's the deal? I've _talked_ to Clint. So. It's not happening. And if you think he can lie to me, you haven't seen him try."

"It's not happening _yet._ It will."

"Now, _that_ part I can get behind," Kate said with a crooked grin. "I just want to be sure no one is pushing my best friend too hard."

"It'll happen _especially_ if _he's_ paying attention to it," Skye said, tipping her head Logan's way. "There's a record with this one."

"Oh really?" Kurt leaned forward, the grin splitting his whole face.

"Just helpin' the most obvious offenders," Logan said. "Little … situational thing. That's all."

"He got Fitzsimmons drunk and locked them in the quarantine area of the lab until they kissed," Skye said.

" _That_ is an exaggeration," Logan said. "May was the one to decide when they could come out. I just … locked 'em in and made sure no one would bug 'em."

"And the second time you stranded them without technology was just a _coincidence_ , right?"

Logan looked up as if it was news with a perfectly innocent expression if not for who was wearing it. "You act as if I can control the weather."

"Yeah, and the fact that you were watching the weather every day leading up to the snow-in was just happenstance."

"I always watch the weather," he replied with a little smirk.

Skye rolled her eyes at him as she finished making her second s'more. "Uh-huh."

"You tryin' to give me a reputation or somethin'?"

"Mmhmm," Skye said, grinning widely before she simply smashed her s'more into the side of his neck. "On so many counts," she added, the grin widening.

"I'm game," he replied before nearly tackling her with the one in his hand.

The others in the room all glanced at each other, and Gwen broke down in giggles as she took the s'more she'd just finished and grinned sideways at Peter, who turned very nearly purple.

"Oh, I think I'm gonna like this game," Kate giggled as she watched Peter try and duck Gwen — though he wasn't trying _that_ hard and still wound up with half the chocolatey marshmallowy mess on his face.

Kurt laughed and swept her up to carry her off. "I think we should keep playing somewhere else," he teased.

"Yes, please," Logan called out, already overly occupied with Skye. "Get out."


	38. Secrets

**Chapter 38: Secrets**

* * *

 _March 4_

 _Howlett Estate_

* * *

Betsy was sitting by the fire reading quietly when Remy leaned over the back of the couch to rest his chin on her shoulder. "Evenin', _cher_ ," he said with a crooked grin. "See you went an' found de warmest, coziest spot you could. You need someone to join you?"

"I don't know that anyone qualifies for the position," she countered easily.

"Remy ain't been out in de cold _dat_ long," he said, though he was frowning her way.

"Well … it seems like I've been left out in the cold for that long."

He deftly jumped over the back of the couch to land beside her, his head tipped to the side. "Betts," he said. "We already done been tru dis. I ain't leavin'."

"And you're not trusting me either," she replied. "I don't know what I can do to earn that."

He let out a long breath and leaned his head back on the couch. "You don't gotta earn a ting, _cher_ ," he said seriously.

She chuckled at that and pointedly opened the book she had next to her. "If you say so, sure."

"Hey," he said, sitting up a little straighter to look her more fully in the face. "You ever know Remy to say sometin' he don' mean? Leastwise, not when it counts."

"No," she agreed, shaking her head. "But you don't let me in either."

"Whatchu want into, _cher_?" he asked. "Remy ... he an open book."

"Remy, I don't know the first thing about you outside of the charm," she pointed out. "And I know there's more to you than that."

" _Cher_ , de past is boring," he said, waving his hand lazily. "You know 'bout de job, you know 'bout de accent, you know 'bout Remy _now_."

She rested her chin in the palm of her hand as she watched him for a moment. "So there's no reason to talk about old scars … you tell me the story on one and I'll tell you the story on one …"

Remy started to grin at that. "Well, now dat _is_ a game wort' playin'," he said, leaning forward.

"So tell me something about yourself, and I'll challenge you to find a scar."

The grin just kept getting wider as he nodded, clearly thinking it over before he laughed and said, "Alright … Remy, he steal his first bauble when he six," he said at last. "Right out from under de nose of de Sentinels, too."

She raised an eyebrow and held out her right hand. "Good luck with that hand." As he shook his head and took her hand, she leaned in closer. "Better secrets equal better real estate."

He just laughed and shook his head as he planted a kiss on her palm. "You playin' dirty."

"If you don't want to play …"

"Not complainin'," he said. "Just sayin' — you play dirty."

"What fun is it to play straight all the time?" she challenged.

"Oh, no fun at all," he agreed quickly, holding her hand in both of his as his eyes twinkled. "Alrighty, den… How 'bout… de first girl Remy ever really fall for?"

"That depends; do you want to hear about my first boyfriend?" she replied.

"De game's 'bout Remy's secrets," he pointed out with a laugh.

"True," she said with a little smile. "So, let's hear it and I'll pay up."

Remy grinned at her and shook his head, though he got a little quieter as he leaned forward. "Well ... her name… her name Anna Marie. She dead now, dead an' gone in de Games."

Betsy leaned closer and kissed his cheek before she slipped her over shirt off and winked at him over her shoulder. "Arm. And condolences."

He smiled at her and simply trailed the tips of his fingers over her arm. " _Cher_ , you perfect — ain't no scars here dat I can see," he said as he kissed the top of her shoulder.

"Guess you've got to keep looking," Betsy replied. "Unless you're bored already."

"That just ain't de case," he laughed. "Jus' wondering what you holdin' out for if Remy's first love only rate one arm."

"Stun me," she said.

He paused before a slow grin spread over his face. "Alrighty. How 'bout ... Remy know 'bout de Tahiti program long before he _in_ it."

She paused and just gave him a look. "Well, for that ... we may need a room with more privacy."

Remy laughed and scooped her up. "Not complainin' in de least, _cher_."

* * *

 _March 5_

 _Howlett Estate_

* * *

Coulson was starting to get used to the new setup at the Howlett place. On arrival, Logan had insisted he take the office on the main floor in addition to one of the larger rooms — telling him that he didn't need to _live_ in all the clutter and intel.

It probably helped too that the staff made sure he was well-supplied with coffee all day long as well. It was getting to be downright comfortable.

Except in awkward moments like this, where one of the new X-Force members was making a point of all but dragging her Cajun thief in, both of them with bed head, as she declared. "You have to hear this."

"I have to hear what, exactly?" he asked with one eyebrow raised.

"Tell him," Betsy said, urging Remy to take a step forward.

Remy glanced her way before he let out a weary sigh and checked to be sure the door was closed. "It all in de past now," he said haltingly. "But you done had a real bad leak, Agent Coulson. _Real_ bad." He sat down in the chair nearest Coulson and shrugged. "Dat Doctor Essex o' yours ... he never worked jus' for SHIELD. He been int'rested in de strangest sorts o' genetic questions since long before you pick him up."

"If you don't mind my asking, how did you know Dr. Essex?" Coulson asked as he frowned slightly and leaned forward.

"He de one who told Remy 'bout de Tahiti project," Remy said.

"I thought that Xavier was on your case when you woke up," Coulson said, tipping his head to the side a bit.

"Well, he real good at spottin' a lie, but even he never did suss out de connection dat ol' — whatchu call him? Vampire? — de old connection he had to Eight."

Coulson looked a lot more open as he urged Remy to continue. "By all means, enlighten me."

Remy paused and looked honestly uncomfortable before he glanced Betsy's way and sighed. "See, Essex, he tell Remy 'bout de Tahiti project because he need someone he kin trust in de project when it happen. So he tell Remy: you go in de Games, you gon' come out de other side an' you gon' work for me." He shrugged. "Got nearly to de end of de Reaping age 'fore he come, but he remember dat promise."

"Why you?" Coulson asked, looking concerned.

"Well, it weren't for de fact dat Remy kin be _bought_ ," Remy said with a little glare. "Not for de kids, anyhow."

"You'd said that before," Coulson said with a nod. "But you still haven't told me what he had on you."

Remy let out a low laugh. "Plenty, all tings considered," he said, glancing up to meet Coulson's gaze. "He my ol' man."

Coulson looked taken back as he quickly tried to regain his composure. "Mr. LeBeau, I am so sorry. If I had any idea, I would have moved to protect you much faster."

It was Remy's turn to look taken aback at his reaction. He shook his head lightly. "Dat sure ain't de reaction I's expecting." He got to his feet and then paused. "In case you was wonderin', dat's how Essex get in de Tahiti project wit' dat horrible snake woman."

"Well, Essex is dead … and I don't know if it would be a comfort or not to know how that ended, but … that horrible snake woman is at the top of the list right now. And you are more than welcome to remain with us and be a part of our organization in any capacity that you're comfortable with."

Remy had to smirk at that as he tipped his head Coulson's way. "If dat's de case, I got jus' de one stipulation 'fore I agree to work for anybody."

"What would that be?"

"You can't tell nobody what Remy jus' tell you," he said.

"Of course not," Coulson replied, looking insulted at the insinuation. "That will never leave this office; it remains between us. We don't judge based on poor family ties."

"Dey spectacularly bad ties," Remy said with a crooked grin as he leaned over to offer Coulson his hand. "But if you still int'rested, den I can play."

"Of course," Coulson replied. "As I understand it, the members of X-Force have been working on setting up a training room. I'm sure as soon as it's operational you'll be more than welcome to use it as you'd like."

"Honestly, jus' wait til' de snow lets up an' Remy'll get back in better practice," Remy laughed. "He been told no stealin' on de premises."

"Believe it or not, that's more so that Mrs. Hopkins doesn't murder you in your sleep," Coulson replied with a smirk. "She's the one that runs the house, and she is a little protective."

"I seen her — she formidable," Remy said with a little laugh before he reached for Betsy and draped an arm around her shoulders to squeeze her, opening the door for the pair of them. "You happy now, _cher_?" he asked under his breath with a grin.

"Halfway there," she replied. "You still haven't found any scars …"

"Wasn't lookin' all dat hard," he pointed out with a grin.

"I noticed," she shot back.

"Well, you was playin' dirty," he said, still grinning at her as they hit the hallway.

"You're still not complaining," she replied.

He laughed and kissed her, though he was only just starting to get involved when someone grabbed him by the shoulder to spin him around and deck him. And when the stars cleared, he somehow wasn't surprised to find that he was looking up at Brian Braddock.

Betsy was shouting at Brian to mind his own business as the tall young man simply fumed. "He didn't do anything to you," she snapped.

"Yeah? So I guess it's just fine now that he's been lying to you, me, everyone else?" Brian snapped back.

"Lying about what, exactly?" she challenged. "Or are you just going to be paranoid?"

"Come on, Betsy — I'm not stupid. I know you've been mad about what went down with Essex and how _he's_ not saying anything," Brian said, gesturing at Remy, who looked almost bemused by the whole thing.

"I'm not..." She let out a little noise of frustration.

"You're _kissing_ him in the hallway?" Brian shook his head. " _My_ sister?" he added, more Remy's way than anything else.

Before Remy could answer, Kurt and Logan stepped out of one of the nearby rooms to see what was going on. "Is there a problem?" Logan asked as they came closer.

"Just a little family issue," Brian said, waving his hand.

Logan looked between the three of them and then settled on Betsy. "Either one of these two knuckleheads bothering you?"

"Just my brother being an idiot," she said. "It's fine."

"He's being your brother," Kurt pointed out. "He's just trying to look out for you."

"I don't need him to," Betsy said with a sharp look Brian's way, even if she was addressing Kurt.

"Then you might want to brush your hair and try looking presentable before you step out of your room," Brian replied. "Both of you."

"Brian," Betsy said in more of a sigh than anything else.

"Does Coulson have a problem with this?" Logan asked.

Almost on cue, Coulson came out to tell the kids to keep the noise down outside his door — or at least find out what the noise was _about_ — just in time to hear the question. "No problem," he said, shaking his head. "In fact, Mr. LeBeau will be working with SHIELD moving forward."

Logan nodded and looked over at Betsy. "How happy are you with your room? Because it might be a good idea to keep the whole team close by."

"I thought you and your little group swept up all the rooms by the master suite," she said, tipping her head Kurt's way with a laugh.

"There's one open," Logan said.

Betsy glanced at Brian and narrowed her eyes for a moment before she nodded. "Well, alright. I'll take it."

"You'll be next door to Kurt on one side and me on the other," Logan told her.

"And rounding out the team is Wade just down the hall," Kurt said with a smile. "Of course, Scott is close to the Hudsons…."

"Scott is about as far away from me as he can get — call it like it is, Elf."

"And the ringing quiet and peace has been such a nice change," Kurt teased.

"I wonder sometimes if Petey might be better on that team," Logan shot back.

"You're welcome to invite him," Kurt said with an easy grin.

"Then we'd have to get Kate too — or she'd start her own revolution against us."

"Oh no," Kurt said straightfaced. "A team with my fiance."

"The horrors," Logan deadpanned right back.

"Which reminds me... Mrs. Hopkins seems to have taken over the planning for my wedding," Kurt laughed. "Do you know anything about that?"

"I know that Mrs. O'Malley told her about it — because I had to hear a good earful — but it sounds like you can blame Parker for that," Logan replied as they headed toward the stairs. "Nothing I can do about it."

"Oh, I very much doubt that," Kurt laughed. "I don't know that either of them know yet that you are the best man — or you _would_ be more involved."

"I will _not_ ," Logan countered. "Plan your own soiree."

Kurt laughed harder at that, one arm around his friend's shoulders. "I would, but I would probably be stepping on Mrs. Hopkins toes."

"She'd love it," Logan told him. "She already thinks the two of you are … well. Adorable, I think was the word."

"Yes, we get that a lot," Kurt said, still grinning. "We can't help it, really."

"Right, I'm sure," Logan said with a sigh. "Haven't heard that one before ever."

"And what do they call you and Skye?" Kurt asked.

"They don't," he replied, shaking his head. "At least not around me."

"Not even to shower 'adorable' comments on you two?" Kurt asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Nope," Logan said.

"I wouldn't know — is that a good or bad thing?"

"To be honest, I really couldn't tell you," Logan replied. "I haven't put much thought to it."

Kurt shook his head lightly. "Well, that surprises me. Skye ... you and she _are_ adorable," he said, the smile turning into an impish chuckle.

"You've been listening to yourself too much lately," Logan said flatly. "I don't think that word means what you think it does anymore."

"So the fact that you can still get her to turn pink and the fact that you relax so much around her is just… what word do _you_ prefer, _mein Freund_?" he teased.

Logan shook his head at his friend. "I … haven't put much thought into that either. It just is."

Kurt laughed as they hit the top of the stairs. "That sounds about right," he chuckled before he paused, laughed again, and added, "And it _is_ … adorable."

Logan frowned hard his way. "Quit tryin' to infect me with your cute."

"I just want you to be happy — don't look so upset!" Kurt laughed.

"You're just … pick a different target," Logan grumbled.

"I would, but Kate's already teasing Peter relentlessly, and Natasha flat-out refuses to speak with me if I look like I may smile too wide when she and Clint are in the same room," Kurt laughed.

"So you're going with the safe, long tease," Logan said, nodding his head.

"I'm going with my best friend, who is safe and happy for the first time in a while," Kurt pointed out.

"You're getting sentimental on me."

"It's a state of being with me, I've been told," Kurt said.

"Apparently," Logan agreed as they got down to their rooms. "Go ahead and talk to Mrs. Hopkins if you want it to stop. She can be reasonable."

"Logan," Kurt said, turning to his friend with a crooked smile, "why on earth would I want it to stop? It's my _wedding_. Of course I want people to be excited!

"So you're alright with the date then?" he asked with a smirk. "Because … they are _planning._ "

"Oh yes," Kurt said with a nod. "I've already asked Coulson to make arrangements with Margali and the twins so they can come."

Logan just shook his head at that. "Good luck."

* * *

 _March 9_

 _Howlett Manor_

* * *

Dawn was just breaking as Logan finally finished his run around the lake. It hadn't snowed in a few days, so his trail from the days before was still a good one, and it didn't end up taking quite as long as it usually did because of it.

But when he got into the nearly empty kitchen, he wasn't exactly surprised to see Natasha mixing up a pair of mugs with fresh coffee. He glanced at the mugs and then up at her with a look.

"You know how Hawkeyes are about coffee," she said with a shrug.

"I know how they are about redheaded room service," he countered.

"You must be confused. Kurt's dark-haired."

He shot her one of his best smiles. "And I wasn't talking about Kurt. He was smart enough to bring a coffee maker up to their room so they don't have to leave so early. You should think about that — getting a coffee maker for your room."

"I'd still have to take it from mine to his."

He just laughed. "Keep telling yourself that lie; still won't make it true."

"Well, you told me to take it to my room," she pointed out.

"I should have been more clear," he agreed. "You need to take one up to the room where you keep all your clothes and sleep with your purple bandaged teddy bear."

"That is more specific," she agreed with a smirk.

Before he could tease her some more, Mrs. O'Malley pressed a mug of coffee into his hands and told him to sit by the fire, giving Natasha a quick escape. "There is no sane reason to go running this early in the morning," she told him.

He let out a little sigh but did as she asked. She'd been trying to get him to slow down when he went through in the morning, and catching Natasha seemed to be exactly what was needed for him to stand still long enough for just that.

"You're right about those two," Mrs. O'Malley said once Natasha was gone.

"Of course I am; every time I see her, she's coming out of his room," Logan muttered, finally starting to feel the chill now that he'd slowed down.

"There's no reason to set that room aside for her," Mrs. Hopkins agreed. "She never sleeps in it. That bed hasn't been touched."

"There's nothing we can do about it," Mrs. O'Malley said airily as she topped off Logan's mug — even if he'd only gotten through maybe a quarter of it. "But the wedding, we can work with. It's been too long since we've had one here."

"And those two darlings are the perfect way to start up again," Mrs. Hopkins said with a warm smile.

"I guess they're game — so do whatever it is you think is right," Logan told her.

"That sweet girl has already been out to the grounds with ideas of her own," Mrs. Hopkins told him. "Come June, the gardens will be perfect."

"She and that sweet little blonde dating Peter Parker," Mrs. O'Malley said with a smile, while Logan tried to keep out of the discussion as the two women chatted. This was not what he signed up for.

"That boy hasn't even asked her yet," Mrs. Hopkins replied.

"He will," Mrs. O'Malley said. "And she knows it."

"He'll need help the way he's going," she replied. "Scared of his own shadow, that one."

"I'm sure he'll find his own way. They're still so young, after all."

"They are," she replied a little stiffly. "But the way she tells it, they've been sweethearts for years. Even at their age. How old must they _be_ in Eight?"

At that, Mrs. O'Malley made a little noise at the back of her throat. "If we go by the _other_ boy from that district…"

"Don't bring that little cat burglar up," Mrs. Hopkins said with a bit of heat. "I've got my eye on that boy."

"As you should," Mrs. O'Malley said with clear disapproval in her tone.

"Pretty sure you can both relax on that," Logan told them. "Betsy told him I'd go after him if he pulled anything."

"I'm still keeping an eye on him," Mrs. Hopkins said.

"Thanks for the coffee," Logan said, obviously not wanting to listen to the fawning over this cutie pie and that. Before either of them could do much more than turn his way, he was out of the room and halfway up the stairs — skipping the ones that creaked now that he had a solid idea in mind.

It would do no good to simply lock the door to Clint's room. Not with a spy and a thief that could easily pick it. But ... they would probably have trouble if he just … jammed the door shut. Nothing too major ... just … half a dozen wedges under the door where they couldn't reach them right.

He knew just where to look and had set his coffee mug down to jam the door when Mrs. Hopkins reached the top of the stairs and stopped to watch what he was up to, smirking to herself at his antics. When he saw her, he held one finger up in front of his lips before he put the last two wedges in and silently slipped back toward his room, coffee mug in hand.

If anyone else would have been awake, he'd have been taking bets as to how long it would take them to figure out they were locked in and start raising hell over it. But since it was just her, he gave her a little smile and kept walking as she started to laugh at the whole situation, especially when he could hear, after a moment, the doorknob rattling as Natasha tried to open it — and Clint's laughter clearly ringing out.

Inside the room, Clint was still laughing as he watched Natasha swear under her breath at the door. "You've been bested by wood, Nat," he teased.

"I have _not_ ," she said with her eyes narrowed, examining the door.

"Can you pick it?"

"It's _jammed_."

Clint laughed all over again as he finally got up to see what the problem was, laughing even harder when he looked under the door and light wasn't coming through. "Well, there's your problem."

"So help me, I'm going to break it down," she threatened.

"What for?" Clint asked.

"For annoying me."

"That's not a good enough reason to hurt the house, Nat," Clint pointed out. "Mrs. Hopkins will get mad at you."

She shook her head at him as he slipped an arm around her shoulders to steer her back toward the coffee. "Come on. Someone's playing a trick is all. It's not like they're going to let us… starve or something."

"It was Logan," Natasha said with her eyes narrowed.

"Okay, so at _most_ a couple days," Clint said with a nod. "We need water too, y'know."

"Three days is the threshold for no water," she replied. "And I'll kill him."

"He's not gonna let us go thirsty for three days," Clint assured her as he poured out the coffee.

"No, he'll just try to be sneaky and slip us fresh coffee and water when we're asleep."

"I don't really see a problem here, Tasha," he said easily. "Coffee… water… no responsibilities except watching for the dropoffs of said coffee and water…"

"And s'mores, if the story is true," she pointed out with a smirk.

"It is," Clint promised. "Heard it from Katie. I dunno what she was more excited about — the s'mores or the fact that Skye was the one who started it."

"They're trying to figure out who started _all_ of it with those two," she replied. "My money's on her."

"What makes you so sure?" Clint asked with a grin.

"Because I saw him when I was undercover in the Capitol," she said. "And I don't think he was even considering it."

"Well maybe not at the _time_ ," Clint said with a shrug. "Things change, Nat."

"Maybe, maybe not," she countered.

"You're probably right, though," Clint had to agree, leaning back with his coffee in hand. "You super spy types need to be hit over the head with it sometimes, you know that?"

"That's not true," she argued.

"Yeah?" He set the mug aside. "So tell me something, super spy — what about Coulson and May?"

"They're not … that's not happening until after the war ends," she said. "They have their minds on the job at hand."

"Mmhmm. And they're not the only ones," Clint said. "Was the same with Bobbi, same with Logan, and same with you."

"That's not true," she repeated. "Bobbi … is resetting. And Logan _is_ with Skye now—"

" _After_ she made the move," Clint said. "Like I said. Gotta hit 'em over the head."

"What are you trying to get at, Barton?" Natasha asked as she crossed her arms.

"I'm saying Logan thinks you need to be hit over the head, Nat," he said with a shrug. "Any reason he thinks that?"

She wrinkled her nose a little. "He's probably still just recovering from that injury. Obviously, he's on drugs."

He rolled his eyes at her with a little muttered 'whatever, Nat' before he crossed the space between them and kissed her hard for a good long time. When he stepped back, he wasn't even grinning, just shaking his head. "You can still come over anytime, Nat, but for crying out loud, either get past it or get with it."

"I'm … going to need more to work with than just a short kiss," she shot back.

He watched her face carefully for any sign of a tease before he broke into a grin and couldn't help but ask, "Just for the record ... better'n Ronan, right?" Her eyes widened for just an instant before she hit him in the arm _hard._ "Had to ask," he chuckled, both hands raised in a gesture of peace.

* * *

It wasn't until _much_ later in the day that Clint and Natasha heard someone outside jiggle the door handle and ask if they were alright.

"Just send us some water and coffee," Clint called out, not planning on moving at all from where he and Natasha had wound up curled up much like they usually were in the mornings, legs tangled, though with her head on his chest this time.

"I'll throw some food in there too," Skye promised. "Just in case you need your strength."

"You're going to start rumors that way," Natasha said, shaking her head — but Clint couldn't help but grin at the fact that she wasn't moving either.

"Yeah, that boat sailed," Skye called back, though she kind of trailed off at the end of her sentence as she walked off.

Clint shook his head but rested his hand on the small of Natasha's back as he looked down at her. "You gonna be okay when they start asking about all this?" he asked.

"I don't think it will be an issue," she replied, snuggling in a little better.

"I'm just saying... I can play dumb with the best of 'em."

"You don't have to," she said.

He smirked down at her. "Yeah, you say that now, but then tomorrow, you'll be mad—"

"Clint, shut up."

He chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "Sure thing, Nat."

* * *

 _March 14_

 _The Capitol_

* * *

Although Charles was certainly still worried about Bobbi, he was glad to see that she really did look better. Healthier.

Her habit of ringing her finger around coffee mugs hadn't gone away, but she had started to relax — at least enough that she wasn't in a constant state of survival. Charles suspected that had to do not only with getting out of a military setting but with spending more time with Hunter.

As he understood it, the two of them were not a couple when the Capitol had enforced the dating charades… but they certainly cared for each other. And for Bobbi, that meant having someone who wasn't tied to a fight of some kind, who wasn't involved in the constant interplay between Hydra and SHIELD, even if Hunter had joined up for a short time once war broke out.

One day, perhaps, Bobbi would be able to return to the life she wanted to live, with SHIELD and the revolution… but for now, Charles was simply happy to see that she was more apt to smile, and less inclined to jump at the slightest noises.

It also helped, of course, that David had taken a serious liking to Hunter and Bobbi both, and so the little boy was present at every single one of Charles' sessions with Bobbi.

They had just finished a session when Charles got the alert on his laptop, and he couldn't help but smile as he held up a hand for Bobbi to stay — not that she was complaining when she had David in her lap and was clearly enjoying herself.

"We just received word from Coulson," he explained. "That information you sent on Hydra's rule of force in the old schools in Six was perfect. As I understand it, Mr. Banner and a few others took exception to his old friends being forced into a Hydra brain trust." Charles smiled. "You'll be happy to know the children are safe."

Bobbi nodded at that, a small smile playing with the corner of her mouth. "It's… just good to hear the _good_ that mission did," she admitted in a soft tone.

Charles nodded at that and leaned forward. "Bobbi, I think you'll find that you did much more good than you're giving yourself credit for. All that we're doing here is working to reverse the evil that was done to _you_ in the meantime."

"I know," she said. "I've heard it all before." She smirked and tickled David's tummy. "But… it still helps to hear that Hydra's getting screwed."

Charles couldn't help but smirk at that. "It does indeed."


	39. Surprises, Big and Little

**Chapter 39: Surprises, Big and Little**

* * *

 _March 17_

 _District Two_

* * *

"I can't believe we managed to get out without a chaperone," Skye said with a smirk as she and Kate headed out for a mission together. They had a hot tip on Viper, and for as mad as they both were on behalf of their favorite former victor — they were jumping on it. "I thought for sure at least May was going to insist on going with for this."

Kate waved her hand and laughed. "Are you kidding? Viper's got no chance. Hell hath no fury and all that."

"True, but May is my SO — _still_ — and you _know_ she feels like she has s stake in this." She drew in a breath and leaned back in her seat. "Mama May isn't one to tick off, let me tell you."

"And if we were planning to fight the snake lady head on, that would be one thing, but c'mon, Skye. All we need is a clear shot. I'm up to four arrows at a time now," Kate said. " _One_ of them's gotta stick."

"And I've got a rifle and a side arm," she agreed. "Just need her to stick her stupid Hydra hair where we can see her."

"And take the head shot, since she doesn't have a heart to aim for," Kate agreed, smirking widely as the two of them poked their way through the district that Viper used to live in. Clint had given Kate enough of an idea of the layout of the district — and his own experience visiting Viper's Princess Bar — that they knew basically where to go.

The real problem would be making sure that they got close enough to Viper without being _seen_. Even if she hadn't been around for a while, the people in the place were still scared of her, and that gave her power.

"I hate Two," Skye whispered.

"Not enough trees," Kate agreed with a smirk and a nod.

"It is perfect for snakes, though," she had to admit.

"Yeah, remind me to tell you about the rattler that scared Cassie senseless on a mission with Luke," Kate said with a grin. "It's a great story. Luke laughs every time."

"Eeew, no," Skye said, wrinkling her nose. "If I see one, I'm shooting it. End of story."

"I hear that," Kate agreed. She let out her breath as the two of them pressed on. "But at least _that_ snake lets you know when it's coming."

"I'm pretty sure the goose-stepping soldiers act like a rattle for her," she pointed out.

"True," Kate had to agree. "But I'll still feel better about it when we put her in the ground."

Skye smirked her way in return, and the two of them were nearly to lowtown when they heard what was very clearly the sound of screams. They glanced at each other, and both of them drew their weapons as, for the moment, they rushed to investigate that sound. Maybe it was Viper or maybe it wasn't, but either way, they felt like they couldn't just… _leave_ someone in trouble.

It didn't take them long at all to find the beginnings of what could only be described as a massacre, the bloody evidence strewn all over the streets as they both felt the shivers running down their spines — which turned into outright horror when they found the cause of it all.

Victor Creed was just finishing up what he was playing with — in this case, a Hydra soldier, whose screams were abruptly ended when he simply broke the man's neck and let him fall. But the girls' entrance wasn't missed by his sharp eye, and when the two of them appeared, he simply froze for an instant then started to smile.

"Well, well … isn't this my lucky day," Creed purred out as he rolled his whole massive frame toward them.

Both of the girls were more than a little shaken by the carnage around them, but the look on Creed's face was enough for them to raise their weapons and each fire off a couple shots as Creed rushed for them both.

Skye's shots were aimed right at his heart, but naturally, he was wearing armor — and if the rate he was moving their direction was any indication, he wasn't paying much attention to it. One of Kate's arrows hit true in Creed's left wrist and was still sticking out both sides of it as he rushed forward, though he'd managed to dodge the second one.

"You're first, little bird," he growled out, his sights on Kate. He was moving fast, and as she released an arrow, he caught up to them and snatched the bow out of her hands as the arrow went right under his arm.

"That is _not_ yours," Kate snapped, reaching for the gun she kept strapped at her ankle — the one Bobbi had insisted she always wear since they started training together.

She didn't get to level it at him before he batted it from her hand. She tried to fend him off, but he was just too strong to keep back — and before she'd landed anything damaging, he knocked her off her feet and pinned her to the ground. "Ya lookin' for something more interesting than a smiley face, frail? I gotta few ideas just for you. But ya know I'm gonna have to pay ya back for that arrow."

"No thanks," she spit out. "First arrow's free just for being an ugly creep."

He chuckled — though he truly was at a bit of a loss with one hand out of order. He used that arm to pin her down and brought the new, shining lions' claws up to her face with a smirk. He looked her over for a moment before he set one point right at the outside edge of her eyebrow and pressed until the skin was broken.

He'd just opened his mouth to ask what he should draw this time, with Kate clearly panicking at how close he was to her eyes, when he looked up to see Skye rushing at him an instant before she flat out kicked him in the face. "Keep your hands to yourself," Skye shouted through gritted teeth — though she must have been taking her sparring lessons to heart, because she didn't wait for him to get his bearings before she went after him, hoping that Kate could pull herself together while she tried to beat him back.

When he got his feet under him, though, and started his offensive, it was all she could do to dodge his hits — and by a very fine margin. It was really a matter of time before he managed to land a hit — or get a hold of her.

She thought that she'd gotten far enough back to avoid him, but when he made a sudden, unexpected lunge, she instinctively kicked out to try and tag him in the head. But apparently, that was exactly what he was hoping for. He grabbed her ankle and yanked her off her feet before he picked her up entirely off the ground and tossed her like a rag doll. When she hit the ground, she almost blacked out and definitely couldn't see right, though she could hear the twang of Kate's bow again.

Kate was rushing Skye's way even as she fired the second followup arrow — a putty arrow that was stuck tight on Creed's chest, and there was no way he was going to get it off, not with all the work Tony had put into the design for the putty itself. When she went back to her quiver, it was to get an explosive, and she tagged Creed in exactly the same spot even as he rushed toward both of them.

 _Tick… tick… BOOM._

In an instant, Creed was flat on his back, the armor absorbing the worst of the blow but the explosion itself concussive enough that he was stunned and — for the moment — unable to get any further.

Kate stooped down and got her shoulders underneath Skye's and picked up her friend, all but carrying her back toward the jet.

"Where are we?" Skye asked when they were halfway back to the jet.

"District Two still," Kate said. "And not far enough from that _creep,_ if you ask me."

Skye looked confused at the answer, but she didn't say anything until they were getting onto the jet. "Where are we?"

Kate paused and frowned at her friend, peering a little closer. "We're on the jet now. You feeling okay, Skye?"

Skye closed her eyes and shook her head lightly. "I think I fell?"

"Uh, little more than that," Kate said. "I'll tell you about it once we're in the air, but I'm going to call Simmons and let her know she needs to check you out, alright?"

Skye didn't look like she had really understood a word of it as she stared at the lights and switches on the control panels. Of course, that only had Kate that much more concerned as she got the jet set to take off and radioed ahead. "Hey, we're going to need medical. I think my partner's got … a concussion maybe? She's out of it and can't remember where she is."

"What happened?" Coulson asked.

"Victor Creed, that's what happened," Kate said with her eyes narrowed at the memory. "It looks like he decided to kill half of lowtown and all of its Hydra residents for kicks by the time we got there."

"I'll have Simmons waiting for you," Coulson promised, already sounding even more concerned now that he'd heard it. "How far out are you?"

"After the upgrades the lab boys gave this thing?" Kate asked. "Should be half an hour, forty-five minutes tops."

"I'll meet you in the hangar."

Kate nodded and then focused all her attention on flying fast and making sure that her friend beside her didn't fall asleep, answering the same "where are we" question several more times before they got in at last to a nervous-looking Simmons.

"Tell me everything," Coulson said as they made their way to the medical area. As Kate filled him in, Simmons started her exam properly, looking more serious as it went on. She looked up to Coulson and Kate and gave them a smile that they'd both seen too many times to take as a positive sign.

"She just needs a quick scan or two," Simmons told them. "She's certainly concussed; I'm just not sure how severe it is yet. Hopefully, she won't need any intervention." She pulled Skye over to the machines and got started, and while she waited for the results to come in , Kate finished her story, while Fitz took a seat with Skye to try and help Simmons assess how bad off their friend was.

"Kate needs a little something too," Fitz pointed out. "That looks a bit too close to your eye."

Kate winced the slightest bit as she brought her hand up to the long, curved line. "Yeah… don't remind me."

"The lone observable physical evidence of Skye being a badass, and she doesn't even remember it," Fitz said, tutting to himself.

"It took Creed by surprise," Kate said with malicious glee.

"I'm sure it did," Simmons said as she came over with the supplies to clean her up. "A boot to the head _should_ take one by surprise. Even if they do deserve it."

"Not just that — she kept up with him," Kate insisted. "At least ... for, like, a minute while I got my feet back under me."

Simmons tried to smile, though it was hard to force as she went back to the results of the scan and narrowed her eyes to look at them closer. "Grade two," she said. "It matches her symptoms, too. I'm afraid she'll have to stay here where we can keep an eye on her and keep her from falling asleep."

"You want me to go get Logan? I'm pretty sure he'll want to hear about this, and not just the super amazing, kick-butt girlfriend stuff."

"I'm sure Skye would appreciate it, even if she doesn't remember it," Simmons replied.

Kate nodded her agreement before she hurried toward the ballroom that Logan had appropriated to set up training, poking her head in to find that he was coaching Kamala and Kitty through some new offensive moves.

"Mind if I borrow your teacher?" Kate asked the girls.

"Can it wait?" Kamala asked with a bit of a pout, clearly enjoying the training.

Kate glanced at Logan. "Me and Skye just got back from a mission," she told him quietly. "She's in medical — your call on if you want to go now or later."

"What happened?" he asked already heading toward the door where Kate was standing.

"Creed," Kate said with a glare, though she was quick to add, "Just a concussion, though. I swear he didn't maim her or anything."

Logan didn't wait around to hear more before he was rushing down, with Kate behind him. "How — where the hell were you two?"

"We were in Two. Me and Jessica Jones found a lead on Viper, and Skye and I thought we'd just shoot her and be done, but nope. Big and ugly was tearing apart Hydra, too, apparently."

Logan stared at her for a moment in disbelief. "So you thought you could just traipse into Two and pick her off?"

"Be fair. The only reason we even got caught was Creed was dismembering Hydra soldiers and we came to investigate," Kate said. "We knew what we were doing!"

"I'm sure you did. But Kate … you need more than that for a run at her."

"Not based on what I saw today," Kate said, shaking her head, though she had an almost proud sort of grin on. "Skye totally took Creed on and walked away with just a concussion."

"She _what_?"

Kate held up one hand to start from the beginning. "So Creed thought it would be a good idea to draw on my _face_ ," she said, indicating the butterfly bandage by her eye, "and Skye took exception to that and drew her bootprint on _his_ face."

"You two are gonna kill me," he muttered.

"Hey, we got out with just a scratch and a concussion between us," Kate pointed out. "She took him on while I got my breath back, and then I puttied an explosive to his chest."

"Too bad you didn't put one to his head."

"He was running — the chest was the surer target, and I did _not_ want to get caught again."

"Yeah, I get it," he said, nodding. "How bad is it?"

Kate let out a sigh. "Grade two concussion," she admitted. "She was asking me where we were the whole ride back, so she doesn't remember Creed. Which… since he's a total creep is kind of nice for her, in the end."

He gave her a dry look for that, and the two of them pushed open the door to medical, where Fitz was trying to tell Skye what she'd done — though he was already embellishing the story for her.

Logan, on the other hand, stood by the side of her bed until she realized he was there. "How ya feelin', killer?"

She blinked at him for a moment before she frowned. "I… think I fell."

"Kate says you were practicing your kickline moves," Logan told her.

"Kate says lots of stuff," Skye pointed out, still frowning his way.

He nodded and glanced to her feet. "Yeah .. but most of Kate's stories don't come with blood on your boots."

Skye glanced down to follow his gaze, and her eyes widened. "Oh. Oh, okay," she said, still frowning as she tried to figure that one out.

"Don't worry about it right now," Logan told her as he held onto her wrist. "I'm sure Kate will tell you all about it when you're up to it."

"Bet it was pretty cool," Skye agreed with a tired little nod.

"Just don't listen to Fitz. He's fulla crap."

"But fun to listen to anyway."

"Only when you answer him with that ridiculous accent," Logan agreed with a little kiss to her forehead before he looked over to Simmons. "Anything I can do?"

"Not particularly," Simmons replied. "If you climb in with her, she's bound to fall asleep — which we do not want her to do. At all. So maybe just ... you could bring her something to eat when she's up to it." She shrugged lightly. "Not much else to be done but to wait."

"I can get you some coffee and a book or something," Kate offered. "That way you can stick around."

"Thanks, Trickshot," Logan said as he got himself comfortable facing Skye — with his hand on her knee, so she couldn't even try to snuggle up.

* * *

 _March 20_

 _Howlett Estate_

* * *

The morning after Skye and Kate had returned from their misadventure in Two, Simmons gave Logan the green light to get her out of the lab — and settled into bed. And Skye, for her part, insisted repeatedly that she was _fine_ , even though she couldn't remember a thing about the incident.

Instead of having her go down to the lab repeatedly, Simmons had taken to checking in on her while Logan was training one group or another. It wasn't bad, really. Lots of attention and way more snuggles than should be legal.

But eventually, Skye decided that it was high time she got back to business — especially when the wifi went down. Which meant that it was time to head down to the training room so Kate could _again_ regale the tale of her going toe to toe with Victor Creed.

As it worked out, Kate was working with Kamala and Miles, since X-Force was out on a quick mission — to Two, of all places, to plant new bugs and corroborate the intel that Jessica had come up with. Of course, if it had been an easy run, Kamala, Miles, and Kitty would have been in the group too, but naturally, it was one of the more miserable spots in Two — and it had both Skye and Kate grumpy at having been left behind.

Still, it was hard to _stay_ grumpy when Kamala and Miles were being, well, _them_ , especially since Kamala was in awe of Skye when she walked through the door.

"You feeling any better?" she asked with such genuine concern that Skye had to grin at her.

"Just missed you guys," she said as she began to wrap her hands to fight, and Kamala _beamed_ at the response. "Don't mind me; I'm just gonna stretch so I don't, you know, kill myself trying to keep up with you."

"Right. _We're_ the ones to keep up with," Miles laughed. "Not the Sabretooth-face-kicking future director of SHIELD."

"I wish I could tell you about it myself," Skye said. "But I really don't remember it." She was smirking down at her hands as she kept wrapping, taking her time as she stalled, maybe wrapping a little _too_ carefully. "What are we doing today? Anything special, or just sparring?"

"Just sparring," Kamala said with a grin.

"Don't let me slow you down," Skye said. "I'll … hop in eventually."

The three kids shrugged before they went back to what they were doing — Kamala and Kate sparring at a quick pace as Miles watched for some of the moves that the two younger kids were trying to learn.

When Skye was done stretching, she came to stand next to Miles and bumped his shoulder with hers. "So. Do we just watch, or do you want to warm up with me?"

"Only if you promise to go easy on me, oh Sabretooth face-kicker."

She had to laugh at him for that. "I only have two people I want to kick in the face, and you're _not_ one of them."

"Who is the _other_ one— oh wait, no, I bet I can guess," Miles said, nodding seriously.

"I'll bet you can," she agreed before they started to spar — both of them trying not to get too wild with the other at first. But … once they got going, and having some fun with it, and Miles started throwing jokes with his punches, Skye started laughing, and the spar fell apart.

Kate and Kamala stopped as well to grin at the other two. "Gotta step up your game, director," Kate teased. "Taken down by a fifteen-year-old with bad puns…!"

" _Good_ puns," Miles argued.

"I don't know; some of them were pretty bad," Skye said, still grinning. "I'm just not used to the standup routine with the fight."

"Hilarity is her weakness," Miles agreed with a laugh.

"She'll develop an immunity," Kate teased. "We got used to Pete."

"I'm funnier."

"Uh-huh." Kate gave him a dry look and shook her head.

"Come on, Kate; let's let the love birds 'spar'," Skye said.

"You just want a partner who won't make you snort in mid-spin," Kate accused her even as she squared up with her friend.

"And I feel bad beating up on the kids," she added.

"But I'm fine to beat up on," Kate laughed.

"Well you're not like … fifteen like they are? Right?"

"This is true enough," Kate agreed before she rushed forward, and the two of them fell into a much faster and harder spar than what Skye had been doing with Miles.

When it was pretty clear that they were keeping up with each other, Skye switched almost entirely to evasion and teasing. "Come on — see if you can hit me. I'll bet I can dodge it."

"What, and risk the wrath of the Sabre whatever?" Kate teased right back even as she stepped up her efforts.

"Yeah, pretty sure it won't end the same way as you said that mess did."

"I hope not. I think Logan would kill me if I puttied an explosive to your chest."

"And I don't think you would throw me, and I know I can't throw you. That … far."

"Kamala could throw me further," Kate teased.

Skye laughed with her, but when she dodged Kate's strike, she took a few steps back and threw her arms out. "Woah. That's not right."

Kate paused and frowned her way. "What's up?"

"Just dizzy all of a sudden," she said, making her way to the wall. "Give me a minute. Probably just hit it too hard all at once. Simmons said it might take a week to be back to normal."

"You want me to call her? I mean... Head trauma. That's tricky, I've been told."

"Are you on her side of this? Because … she's just going to prove Logan's theory right with the needles."

"I'm just saying our future director needs to have all her brain capacity up to speed," Kate pointed out.

"Are you saying that _you'd_ feel better if I went down there?" Skye asked.

"Well, the future of SHIELD is at stake!" Kate said.

"Fine," Skye said, crossing her arms over her chest. "McCoy has snacks anyhow."

"That's why she _really_ wants to go," Kamala teased. "Chocolates."

"Like that's a bad thing?" Skye laughed as she threaded her arm with Kate's.

"They know all my secrets," Kate laughed as the two of them walked toward the medical setup.

"Jemma!" Skye called out. "Kate thinks your poking people addiction has gone too long without a victim! And it's not even interesting."

"She's been dizzy again, and we want her brain intact," Kate explained.

"A bit late for that, isn't it?" Fitz said under his breath without looking up from his project.

Skye rolled her eyes at Fitz. "We're really just here for the chocolates."

"No," Simmons said, pulling her over to have a seat. "You shouldn't be dizzy anymore unless you were hit again." She looked pointedly at the wraps on Skye's hands as she got her blood draw kit out.

"Not in the head," Kate said. "She was dodging or blocking, and it was just a light spar. Miles and Kamala were there," she added as if that was the best explanation she could give.

"Well, let's just have a look," Simmons said with that same falsely bright tone, though she shook her head when it was hard to get a decent vein. "You're _dehydrated_ ," she said. "You'll need some fluids, if nothing else."

"I'm pretty sure that's what all doctors say. Fluids, sleep, needles…" Kate teased as she broke into Hank's stash of chocolate with a little 'aha' and tossed one Skye's way.

"And just one more test," Skye added. "Always one more test."

"Ha ha," Simmons said, shaking her head at both of them as she got Skye all set. "Really, how else am I supposed to tell you what's wrong?"

"You're _supposed_ to tell me I'm perfectly fine," Skye countered.

"Skye, did you go through years of medical training?" Simmons said with one eyebrow raised.

"It feels like it sometimes, listening to your explanations."

"Then you should know exactly why I need to be sure — and take _tests_."

"With a two-needle minimum," Skye said before she stuck her tongue out at her.

Simmons shook her head, rolled her eyes, and headed off to get the tests rolling.

"You need someone to bail you out and get you outta here before they start taking even _more_ tests?" Kate teased once Simmons was working away.

"I think I'm stuck until the saline is gone," Skye pointed out. "But as soon as that's gone …"

"Then one rescue operation coming up," Kate promised.

"Please," Skye said dramatically.

Kate grinned and hopped down to the floor, waving at Skye with two fingers. "I'll be back with better snacks and running shoes if you don't come find me in ten minutes."

"Solid plan, Hawkeye," she laughed.

It was just a few moments later that Simmons came back to Skye, though it was obvious that Simmons had some kind of news by how fidgety and worried she looked.

"What's wrong?" Skye asked. "Is this where you tell me I'm dying or something?"

"Oh! No, no," Simmons said quickly, her voice rising a bit in pitch. "The very opposite, actually." She shifted a bit. "Skye… you… you're pregnant," she blurted at last, her eyes wide.

Skye just stared at her for a moment, then rolled her eyes. "Very funny."

"Skye, I'm not kidding," Simmons said, leaning back against one of the cabinets. "I just ran the test. It was just … I wasn't _looking_ for that … it was just part of a run of other tests, and — and we'll need to run some _new_ tests to see how far along you are, of course, but there's no mistake."

Skye shook her head. "No ...It's gotta be like a false … positive or something. That happens. You know it does."

"False negatives, yes," Simmons corrected her. "But false positive? No." She shook her head and almost absently rested her hand on her friend's arm. "Are you — are you alright?"

But Skye didn't seem like she was hearing Simmons. " _What?"_

"You should tell Logan," Simmons said gently. "Obviously, it's up to you how to proceed…"

"Uh-huh," Skye said, clearly dazed.

Simmons paused and then went to Hank's stash to split another chocolate bar with Skye. "Here," she said as she handed her friend that half. "This would explain why you're dehydrated and dizzy, if you were wondering." She paused and smirked. "I told you tests are important."

"You are so not funny," Skye replied.

"Oh, yes I am," Simmons said with a little grin.

"Can I go now, or are you going to try to freak me out more?"

"No, I don't think…" Simmons paused and shook her head. "Do you want me to walk with you back to your room?"

"Pretty sure that would look more fishy than me just going on my own."

"I'm not going to tell anyone, Skye," Simmons promised. "Oh, well… you should tell Coulson. I'll have to put it in my report…"

"No, no," Skye said, putting both hands out in front of herself. "Don't … don't do that yet. Let me talk to him first."

Simmons smiled and nodded. "Good luck."

Skye gave her friend a tight smile, but it still took a long time for her to get up the nerve to get all the way down to where Coulson had his office set up. And it took her another couple of tries to get up the nerve to knock. So when Coulson answered the door, her discomfort must have been obvious, because the first thing that happened was that he offered her a seat.

She sat down there, glanced up at Coulson, and opened her mouth — but no sound came out. Coulson frowned but waited patiently until she finally managed a little, "So."

"Skye," Coulson pressed lightly. "Is something wrong?"

"I don't know … define 'wrong'," she said, trying for a smile.

Coulson leaned forward. "What's on your mind, Skye?"

"Just … checkin' in, really. Seeing how your day is going."

"Skye."

"Okay, so, I got a little dizzy today."

"Have you been down to see Simmons?" Coulson asked with a small frown. "I know the concussion after you and Kate get back from Two was rough."

"Yeah, this isn't that," she said, sitting on her hands.

Coulson looked honestly concerned. "Skye, if you don't tell me what's going on, I can't help."

"Well, it's not really something you can do anything about.… It's more of a notification kind of thing," she said before she let out a sigh. "Simmons is taking care of me, I swear. But .. I'm apparently going to have a baby."

Coulson stared at her for a long moment. "You… what?"

"Please don't make me say it again; that was hard enough the first time, AC."

"Are… are you sure?" Coulson asked, still looking dazed.

" _I'm_ not sure, but Simmons sure seems convinced with her stupid tests and stuff. I feel _fine._ "

Coulson passed a hand over his forehead before he let out a small noise of disbelief and stood up from behind the desk to pull Skye to her feet and hug her. Both of them were still clearly a bit in shock from the news, and the hug had Skye's eyes brimming. So when the radio call came in that the X-Force team was on their way in from their mission, Coulson actually had to take a moment to clear his throat and find his composure before he acknowledged them with his trademarked "Good job. Skies are clear." He took a moment to really catch her eye as he held her by both shoulders. "Do you need anything?" he asked her, addressing her directly at last.

"I … really don't know," she said. "I'm kind of wigging out here."

"I can't imagine," Coulson said, nodding as he seemed to settle back behind his desk. "We'll need to take you off of field duty, of course," he said, finally getting his feet back under him. "If you're dizzy already, we don't want you… in the line of _fire…_ "

"Right, so news will be out in no time," she said, frowning to herself a little.

"Only if you want it to be," Coulson said. "We can give you other projects that you can work on here."

"That would probably be good," she agreed. "Otherwise, I'm going to go crazy in here with … everything." Her expression fell another couple of notches as she thought about what the _staff_ was going to have to say about this.

Coulson nodded. "Well then… congratulations, Skye."

She gave him a tight smile and turned to leave, though she didn't get far before she spotted Kate as she skidded almost past her.

"Um, I thought _I_ was your partner in crime here. What, you had to turn to Coulson to escape the needles? I wasn't fast enough?" Kate teased, though when she saw the look on Skye's face, she paused. "Woah, wait, what's going on?" she asked, more seriously this time.

"I am so not saying anything right now," she said, shaking her head.

"That bad?" Kate asked, looking concerned.

Skye paused and let out a breath. "I guess … it depends on how you look at it. I'm not … entirely sure."

"That doesn't make any sense," Kate said, her nose scrunched up.

"I know. Sorry."

"So do you need someone who... you know… sticks around to keep you from falling asleep? I mean, we could bring Miles back with his running comedy routine."

Skye turned Kate's way with a totally unamused look that clashed spectacularly with the fact that she was still a bit wide eyed. "I am not brain damaged."

"Uh-huh." Kate draped an arm around Skye's shoulders. "You look like a deer in the headlights."

"That … doesn't make me feel any better," she replied.

"Seriously, what do you need?" Kate asked. "I can keep you company until Logan gets here, but I'm a poor, poor substitute. If you need _more_ snuggles, we can always call in America…."

"Oh, God, that … no. That would be bad."

"We could set the two of you up in the master suite… let Logan find you all comfy cozy…" Kate teased, grinning mercilessly.

"No ... she .. oh, man. I think I just need my laptop and a little peace and quiet for now," Skye decided.

"Well, come on. I do know where _that_ is," Kate said, steering her friend by the shoulders as they headed upstairs.

* * *

When Logan came in a few hours later — after the debrief where Coulson just looked … off — Skye was curled up in a blanket next to the fireplace, just staring at the flames.

He closed the door behind himself and watched her for a few moments. "You want me to leave you to your thoughts?" he asked. "Looks serious over there, gorgeous."

She glanced up, clearly surprised, as she hadn't heard him come in, though that wasn't unusual in and of iself. She shook her head quickly. "No… no." She shifted the blanket around her shoulders. "How was Two?"

"Boring, as usual," he replied as he stepped further into the room. "How about things here?"

"Boring. For me, at least. About to be, anyway. So very," Skye said, turning a shade pinker as she halfway hid in the blanket at her inability to articulate properly. .

"I'll go ahead and take offense to that later," he rumbled, pulling his shirt off over his head "After I get changed and can give you a hard time." He gave her a little look and headed for the bathroom, only barely resisting the urge to throw his shirt at her. "Simmons bench you?"

"Ah… yeah. Yeah, pretty much," Skye said with a little nod. "Coulson said he could give me some projects that don't require field work for a while, but…"

"All that for a bump on the head?"

"Well, actually." She shifted and chewed on her bottom lip. "Coulson's taking me offline for a few months. Because, well ... well, he's taking me off for about nine months. To be precise."

Logan stared at her for a moment with a perfectly open expression, clean shirt in hand, though he was clearly catching up fast. "What?"

"I'm ... well... I'm pregnant," she said in a voice that was barely a whisper, just watching his reaction with incredibly wide eyes. "I thought… maybe Simmons was wrong… but…"

"Are you okay?"

"I really don't feel any different," she said. "Just got dizzy earlier, which is what started this whole… thing."

"Not what I meant," he said in a softer tone. He took a moment to finish getting dressed then slowly walked her way.

"I don't know," she said, shaking her head. "I don't know. It's not like… I don't really know."

When he got close enough, he offered her his hand with a tiny smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Need a hug?"

She nodded in response and halfway pulled him down to rest her head on his shoulder, wrapping her arms around him.

He gave her a squeeze and scooped her up to carry her over to the bed. "Sorry. Pretty well screwed this up, didn't I?"

She shook her head at him. "Screwed what up?"

"Well, the order of things, for one," he replied.

"You did take me home first," she said in a weak attempt at a tease.

"Small miracles. It'll be fine. But you probably should have listened to America's warnings," he teased right back before he kissed her forehead and gave her a squeeze.

"Yeah, but _you're_ not the one who's gonna get a reputation," she said with a smirk. "Not around _here_ anyway."

"Are you kidding me?" Logan half chuckled. "The staff'll flip out the other way. We'll have to move outta here just to breathe."

"See, now you're going to have to eat those words when I'm right. What're you gonna give me? And don't say a baby, because we have that covered."

"What do you want?" he asked.

She paused, biting her lower lip. "I'll have to think about it," she decided at last.

"You can take your time figurin' it out, because _you're wrong_. But, whatever you want, sweetheart. Don't even gotta win a bet for it."

She laughed quietly and shook her head. "So… what do we do now?" she asked after a long pause, her expression totally open.

"Hey, I'm just the drunk lumberjack; you're the director. You tell me."

"I'm on temporary field leave," she pointed out.

"The easier to direct your troops."

She sighed. "I don't know," she admitted. "I guess we just… stay here…. Try to make this place as safe as we can, because… yeah." She snuggled into him a little deeper. "I don't know."

He let out a breath and nodded to himself before he kissed her again. "When you're up to it ... it's probably high time you knew where the secret passages are."

"You mean you _can't_ just appear out of nowhere like Kamala's been telling everyone?" she had to tease.

"That's Kurt's schtick, not mine," he pointed out.

"Kurt does it with smoke bombs. You do it with just… poof, you're there," she said.

"I don't poof," he argued.

"No, you secret passage," she agreed. She smiled slightly and let out a little sigh. "Yes, please, I would love to learn about the secret passages. And then when I'm huge, I can scare people."

"The point of them is to get around so no one can see you," he said. "Or when you need to hide."

"Well, if they're good for hiding, sign me up."

"You want to do that now, or do you want to stay here?" he asked.

"If it's all the same to you, it's been a _day_ ," Skye said, snuggling deeper still. "Can we just stay here? Please?"

"Yep, you got it," he agreed, curling around her and kissing her temple as she let out a sigh and closed her eyes.


	40. Miles, No

**Chapter 40: Miles, No**

…..

 _March 21_

 _Howlett Estate_

…..

When Kurt found Logan, he had to stop and take a few steps backward to try and see what his friend was up to. It was early — at least, earlier than Kurt was used to seeing him looking at intel. Logan was sitting at the kitchen table, the laptop open while he read over the reports from overnight and sifted through maps and firsthand reports with a half of a cup of cold coffee at arm's length.

"What on earth on you working on at this hour?" Kurt asked as he crossed the room to look over his friend's shoulder.

"Same thing I've been workin' on for a while," Logan replied flatly, though he didn't look up. "Tryin' to find Viper."

"Yes, but everyone is doing that. You know that," Kurt said.

"Well I want it done quicker — before someone else tries goin' off to Two or somewhere half-cocked again."

Kurt let out a little 'ah' of understanding as he sat down beside his friend and pulled a few reports toward himself. "Kate told me about their work. Jessica Jones is actually very good at finding things other people overlook, if you want help."

"And I'm good at huntin' them down once there's half a lead," Logan replied. "I know what to look for when it comes to her."

"Still, it's very early to be combing through this stuff," Kurt said, taking his friends cold coffee to replace it with something drinkable. "Why the rush? Is it just because the girls got hurt? I would've thought you'd be going after Creed."

"Can't find him until he's ready to show his face," Logan said. "He knows how to keep off the radar."

"So does Viper, it seems," Kurt pointed out.

"Not as well," Logan replied.

Kurt let out a sigh. "Do you need any help? You look like you've been at this for a while," he offered.

But Logan shook his head lightly. "I still have to go through it to find her signature."

Kurt sighed. "You really don't have to do everything on your own."

"Didn't say I'd go after her alone," Logan pointed out before he finally looked up at Kurt.

"Like I'd have let you go alone if you tried," Kurt said with a little smirk.

"Like you could stop me," Logan challenged.

"Not stop you — _join_ you," Kurt scoffed. "Obviously."

Logan shook his head. "Think I've narrowed it down. She's keeping out of Two after the Creed thing, and she won't touch Six."

"Well that only leaves ten districts and the Capitol. We'll be done in no time."

"Process of elimination. She's not in our districts or the Capitol. Come on, Elf." Logan frowned a little deeper. "But she's got a knot of guards — not _troops_ — in One and another in Ten."

"Then that's where we'll go first," Kurt said with a nod.

"No," Logan said, shaking his head. "Two groups. I just want it done."

Kurt frowned and turned Logan's way. "What's wrong, _mein Freund_? Why the push?" he asked. "Not that I mind, but…"

"Told you I'm tired of waitin'," he replied.

"So you woke up this morning and decided 'enough is enough'?"

"Decided that a while back; just had to heal up enough to get after it." Logan narrowed his eyes. "You have no idea how close she was to just signin' the damn paper."

Kurt let out a breath and put his hand on Logan's arm. "I'm truly sorry you're stuck in this situation, Logan," he said.

"I'm sick of it," Logan said. "I tried bein' reasonable, and now I'm just pissed."

Kurt nodded for a moment before he straightened up. "So, who do you want for the second team? Obviously, I'll come with you to whichever district you choose."

"I want Kate and Pete with us. Clint and Nat will take a group if I ask."

"Skye will want to come," Kurt pointed out.

"Simmons pulled her after the sparring session."

"Ah." Kurt nodded. "Kate told me she wasn't feeling herself. Is she alright?"

"I think so; she's a lil' down about the desk duty."

"Well, we'll just have to cheer her up with a little good news about your widowing," Kurt said with a small smile.

Logan stood up and nodded. "I'll let Coulson know what's goin' on," he said, again abandoning his coffee as he headed out of the kitchen.

"I'll tell Kate — and the others you've got a mission for them," Kurt said.

* * *

As it turned out, Coulson didn't have one lick of trouble letting the kids go off on what was so obviously a vendetta hunt — most likely because of _who_ they were going on their vendetta to kill. "Make sure you all have comms and good armor; the new composite that Fitz worked up is made to deflect darts as well as bullets," Coulson said. "And I want to stay in the loop. Body cams. Everyone."

"No problem," Logan agreed before he turned to the rest of the gathered group. Heading to One was the original group of Awesomes — with Steve, Clint, Natasha and Bucky heading to Ten. At first, Logan didn't look like he liked the idea of Bucky going on this one, but he made a pretty strong case for having an axe to grind with anyone in charge in Hydra.

But as they turned to leave, Peter cleared his throat. "Just ... one thing I'd like to suggest … and I totally get it if you don't want to hear it ... speed being a factor and all that ... but still," Peter said in a rush before he shrugged his shoulders up to his ears. "I think … we ought to bring Miles too."

"Miles?" Kurt repeated with one eyebrow raised as Natasha paused as well with an interested look.

"Well ... I don't expect him to take her out, because clearly, we have that covered. But ... wouldn't it be good for some of the younger kids to at _least_ shadow to see how it's done? I mean … that's kind of what your super elite X-Force whatever is doing with Scott, right?"

Logan and Kurt shared a look before they both turned to Coulson, who looked as if he was weighing it out. "I'm not entirely sure that an assassination run is a good one to break him in," Coulson said.

"No, no ... not … Just to go and keep out of trouble and watch how it's done," Peter repeated. "Back up radio guy," he said with a snap of his fingers. "In case we all find ourselves indisposed — which we so totally won't."

"He does actually know how to stay out of trouble," Natasha said with a soft sort of smirk.

"I'd like to give Kitty another shot too," Steve said. "I think she learned her lesson about rushing in."

It took a moment, but finally, Coulson nodded his head once. "Fine. But I expect them both to come back unharmed."

"Not a scratch," Peter promised with one hand over his heart and a huge grin.

"You can go tell 'em," Logan said. "Meet you at the planes."

"Sweet!" Peter punched the air and rushed off to do just that, which had the other kids smiling at his enthusiasm.

* * *

"So many spiders," Peter said with a grin after they got into the air. "So, _so_ many spiders." He let out a dramatic breath as he leaned back. "Proof of how awesome we are, since so many spiders are on this mission."

"Two is not 'so many'," Logan argued without looking Peter's way.

"Oh, two _here,_ " Peter pointed out. "And one on the other plane. Natasha is a _Black Widow …_ hello … that's a spider."

"It fits too — she's deadly," Miles said with a smirk as he and Peter shared a little look.

"Yeah? What does that make you two?" Logan asked from the copilot chair. "Couple of jumping spiders? You're both twitchy enough."

"Well, you're just lucky you have us with you," Miles said. "Original and Version 2.0 — the Superior Spider."

Peter looked insulted, but Logan got there first. "Fifth best spider. _Maybe._ "

" _Fifth?_ " Miles said, wide-eyed in disbelief as Peter laughed.

"Jess, Nat, Gwen, and Pete," Logan replied and Peter abruptly stopped laughing.

"That is _so_ not in order," Peter said, looking betrayed.

"Why not?" Logan asked. "Or did you two jokers forget about Jessica Drew?"

"No, but… come _on_ …" Miles shook his head.

"I mean, clearly Gwen goes ahead of us, but really? Jessica Drew?" Peter asked.

"You do know that if you keep carrying on, he's going to give someone without a call sign a spider name just to bump you further down the list," Kurt said with a smirk.

"That's entirely true," Logan said, nodding his head. "Pretty much anyone I like better."

Both Peter and Miles looked put out by that, though Kate was snickering by then. But on the other hand, they knew better than to push it with a threat like that hanging over them, so they stuck to safer conversation topics the rest of the way out — away from spider rankings.

When they finally arrived in One — far from the main city center so that they wouldn't be noticed — though, they fell silent, going into more 'mission mode' than before.

"Stay by Pete," Logan said softly to Miles. "He'll keep you out of trouble. Mostly."

"Mostly," Peter scoffed, shaking his head. "No faith."

The intel Logan had found wasn't wrong … though there was a large group of Hydra soldiers in addition to the heavy guard detail. They found a spot above the line of soldiers that was hugging the group of guards, just waiting to see if Viper was there or not.

"If it's not her, who else would be here?" Kurt asked quietly.

"There were a few other creeps that haven't died yet," Logan replied. "Von Strucker's ugly kid, for one."

"Not to mention a few scientists," Kate said with a nod.

"The scientists won't be running the show," Logan pointed out.

"No, but they might have guards."

"This far out in the open?" Peter asked. "Seems like they'd have a big detail around their secret creepy evil scientist labs."

Kate gestured at the group of soldiers. "Yes. Big detail." She rolled her shoulders. "Don't get me wrong, I hope it's Viper, but if it's someone like the creeps Bobbi had to put up with, I wouldn't complain if we got the chance to upend them too."

"Katie just needs to shoot things," Kurt said in a conspiratory whisper Logan's way, though with a twinkle in his eyes. "Indiscriminately."

"What else is new?" Logan replied.

They were starting to really take in the scene when someone fired on them from behind. The little group dodged out of the line of fire as Peter pulled the younger spider down, true to his promise to look out for him, almost before the shots even rang out.

Without a word spoken, the team split and rushed off, taking their usual positions. Kate ran to look out for them, Peter started causing trouble, and Kurt just grinned at Logan as he took out his swords beside his best friend. "I wonder how many of them we need to get through before we get to Viper," he said.

"As many as it takes," Logan replied before the two of them darted out from their cover and started the rush for the snake.

For the first little while, it was just a whole lot of green uniforms — soldiers, a few guards. But there wasn't any sign of their leader until Kate was the one to spot the tall woman in the crowd. "Evil lady, your seven," Kate called out to Logan as she fitted a splodey and fired it Viper's way — though Viper's guards took the brunt of it. "Follow the explosions — should be easy enough to spot even for non-Hawkeyes," Kate teased as she fitted another arrow.

"On it," he called back, slicing his way through soldiers — nowhere near the knot of guards yet.

Kate kept right on firing Viper's way until the woman seemed to decide enough was enough and headed toward Kate, her eyes narrowed as she pulled out the bullwhip, already twirling it overhead as she moved forward with a sneer. As Kate nocked the arrow to the string, Viper's whip struck forward, and before Kate could fully pull the string back, Viper yanked after the long tendrils on the whip had wrapped around the bow just over where her arrow rested.

Kate had to put all of her focus now into keeping her bow from being snatched from her hands — Viper was older and stronger — and she quickly put her other hand to the bow to help, muffing her shot in the process.

As the two of them struggled in their tug of war, Viper made a quick twirl as she allowed herself a step closer, wrapping her end of the whip around her waist to anchor it while she reached down to her leg for another dart.

Kate let out a cry of dismay as she realized she had to release her bow or find out firsthand was was in those darts, and so she let go and dropped, trying to roll with what momentum she had away from Viper, though the Hydra leader was already dangerously close.

She heard Viper let out a little laugh mere seconds before Peter went barreling into her from behind. For an instant, Kate found herself face-to-face — centimeters separating herself from Viper — before Kurt hauled Viper off backwards by her hair, looking incensed. Before Kurt could run her through, she kicked out and knocked him off his feet, taking off in a rush as her guards moved to get between Logan's old alliance and her.

When Viper finally made a break for it, it was like running the gauntlet. Arrows missed her by millimeters — each time accompanied by a loud curse for screwing with Kate's bow — but she had enough distance to keep out of trouble… though Kate and Peter both were firing in a pattern that pushed her right into Logan's path.

Logan was frustratingly close, but Viper had apparently been very clear to her guard detail to keep him back — or take him down — so any help he could give was blocked. At least until he could get loose.

The guards had figured out how to grab a hold of him and not get skewered, but Kurt called out Miles' way. "Get those guards _off of him_!" at the same time Viper was ordering the guards to bring him in if they could manage it.

Miles nodded as he dove in to help, and while he wasn't quite as good of a shot with the webbing fluid as Peter was — with a year less of practice — he was able to web several feet to the ground as he moved through the group, seemingly able to get out of trouble before it even came up.

Even for as lucky as he was, though, there were still plenty of Hydra soldiers to deal with. Peter was still with Kurt and Kate, so he let out a little shout of dismay when he saw the Hydra goons grab hold of Miles… which turned into confusion when both of them dropped, and Miles was still left standing.

Miles wiped his hands off on his pants leg to get some of the feeling back to them. He and Gwen had been working on something sort of like Natasha's Widow's Bites as a method of defense. He wanted to call them the Venom Blast, but Gwen told him he had to let that go.

He grinned up at Peter and flashed him a thumbs-up to let him know he was alright before he dove back into the fight, making enough headway to free Logan up enough that he could get down to work.

As soon as Logan had gotten loose of the last guard, he simply rushed Viper — barreling through the last of the guards in his path. She was waiting for him, prepared to take him down if given half a chance, and when she knew he was in range, she picked up every dart on her right leg and just started throwing them at him.

He was furious and simply swatted them away as he ran toward her, the darts deflecting off of his new armor and claws as he closed the gap. When she ran out of darts, she switched to her whip. On the first crack, she managed to wrap it around his neck, and she joyfully laughed and hauled hard on the whip. He lurched forward a bit but then sneered her way and simply cut the leather in half before rushing toward her again.

The other kids were rushing to catch up and give Logan some backup if he needed it, though Kurt had to shake his head at the move. _Reckless_ — _won't be long now in the mood he's in._

Up close, Viper tried to fight him back, kicking and punching, though she had no trouble trying to use anything else she could get her hands on to try and stop him. But when she saw that Logan wasn't going to play nice, she moved on to evasion — doing a flip off of a car and over his head in an effort to get away from him. She was sure she'd managed it too... until he grabbed her by the hair and yanked her back to him, one arm across her chest and the other fist resting at her side, as the claws sunk in to his knuckles. He leaned forward over her shoulder to whisper in her ear. "Seein' as you didn't want to sign the damn divorce papers, this'll have to do."

Logan twisted his wrist before he pulled the claws back and jammed them back in a few times for good measure until she went limp. When he looked up, Miles was staring at him open-mouthed before he grinned. "You were a married person and you didn't tell anybody?" he asked disbelievingly. "What about — hey! You were _cheating_ on her with…." He seemed a bit overwhelmed.

Logan let Viper fall to the ground and rolled his shoulders as he shook his head at Miles. "Long story. I thought everyone knew." In spite of the battle that was dying off around them, Logan took a moment to pull out and light a cigar in the middle of the battlefield.

"Uh, no. No we did not." Miles shook his head as he looked down at Viper and started to smirk. "Pete said there was a whole lotta crap that went down, but the Awesomes The First didn't give specifics." He glanced back up at Logan and started to grin. "So… does that make you the Black Widower? You and Nat going to share call signs?"

Logan stared at him for a moment, unblinking. "You're really cementing your spot at number five."

"Yeah, but it's totally worth it." Miles said. "Did she change her name?"

"Shut up. Let's get the hell out of here," Logan barked out, turning back to leave the scurrying Hydra soldiers behind, though he did call through the comm to the others. "Time to get outta here, guys."

With their leader gone, it wasn't long before the remaining Hydra soldiers simply started to try and regroup, though it did give the kids a chance to make themselves scarce in the confusion — in great moods now that Viper was _gone_.

"Kamala is going to _freak_ ," Miles stage whispered to Peter.

"Freak about what?" Peter asked as the two of them fell into step. "How incredibly efficient the five of us are?"

"Well, yes, that's entirely true," Miles said, nodding seriously. "But also … did you know Logan was married? Cuz I didn't, but I know you know things about things that I don't."

"Ah, yeah. We knew," Peter admitted, stealing a glance at his still very angry-looking friend. "But that's not really the case anymore, so …."

"Yeah, because he widowed himself," Miles agreed. "Self-widowing. What a world."

Logan glared at the both of them for just an instant, and Peter cringed. "Miles, I think maybe wait until he is less stabby," he whispered. "You have to wait to do the _good_ jokes for at least thirty minutes after a mission."

"Right — like waiting to swim after you eat," he replied.

"Working his way to number six," Logan half breathed out to himself as he quietly switched on his comm to give Coulson the rundown. "Objective met; we'll be back before you know it."

Once they hit the jet, with Kurt and Kate grinning in the cockpit at the fact that their friend was free, Peter quietly gave Miles the rundown — partly to make sure Miles didn't spread any information that wasn't true but also to make sure Logan was more or less left alone.

Still, once they got back to the house, Miles made it maybe a few minutes through the debrief in Coulson's office before he just had to _spill_ what he'd heard Logan say to Viper — though Coulson was disappointingly nonchalant about the whole thing.

"Are you sure you killed her?" Coulson said directed to Logan, who nodded, and after a moment, Coulson gave him a little smile as his shoulders relaxed. "Good. And congratulations." Logan tipped his head Coulson's way, and Coulson simply tried to keep going on the debrief.

"Why is there not more freaking out?" Miles asked with a little frown. "I thought this merited at least a micro-freakout."

"It's no longer an issue," Coulson told him. "Logan told us when we got him back from Viper what she'd made him do. It was never a pressing matter. Not security-wise anyhow."

"Well nobody told _us_." Miles folded his arms over his chest. "And it sure explains a _whole_ lot."

"If you'd been forced into marrying Viper, would you want it to be public knowledge?" Coulson asked.

Miles hedged and then shifted the slightest bit. "No," he admitted.

"That's what I thought," Coulson said as he looked over the five of them. "Romanoff and Barton are on their way back. They found Werner Strucker, but he got away before they could do him any damage."

"I'm sure they _love_ that," Kate said under her breath.

Coulson let out a breath and looked over them one more time. "Make sure you all go through a strict decontamination. I know you said the darts deflected, but … better safe than sorry."

"Plus, we want to get hosed off being in the same zip code as that woman," Kate said, wrinkling up her nose.

"That's why Logan was all hidden away so long, right?" Miles asked. " _De-e-e-ep_ decontamination."

Before Miles could even turn his head toward Peter, Logan reached out and cracked him in the shoulder hard enough to make him nearly fall over sideways. "Got any other wisecracks?" Logan asked. "I didn't hit enough people today."

Miles backed up a couple steps and held up both hands. "Okay, but is that, like, a reflex? Instead of laughing, you hit a person?"

"Nope," Logan said with narrowed eyes. "That was purposeful."

"Well, okay, no more wisecracks, but ... I'm pretty much done anyway," Miles said, turning to rush off before Logan could decide that was a hittable offense too.

Logan watched him scurry away, though once the irritation was gone, he did seem to let out a breath.

"Let's get clean, _mein Freund_ ," Kurt said, draping an arm around Logan's shoulders as they headed out. "And then I think you and Skye deserve a long stretch of uninterrupted time."

He let out a little laugh at that. "Yeah. Likely."

* * *

When the little group had gotten all cleaned up and cleared by Simmons, they all parted ways, though on the way up from the labs, Logan did pass Natasha and Clint by.

Clint clapped a hand on Logan's shoulder as they passed and grinned his way. "Congrats."

"Just tyin' up loose ends," Logan replied. "It was bound to happen."

"Yeah, you say things like that and it makes it sound like it was just a thing that happened and not a _really great_ end to a stupid, way-too-long problem," Clint pointed out. "Take the congrats and celebrate, huh?"

"What'd you think I was doin'?" Logan asked. "Gettin' away from everyone to relax. Finally."

"We could slip a few doorstops under your door," Natasha said like a smirk.

"You could … but I'd still get out," Logan replied with a little smirk.

"But you wouldn't want to," Natasha replied easily. "I'll keep you in vodka and food."

"I can do that without the help, thanks," he said. "Just worry about yourselves. Sorry you didn't get to kill Werner."

"Next time," Clint said. "He's a second-rate to his dad anyway."

"No kiddin'," he agreed, leaving the two of them to Miles, who was raving about how Natasha had been usurped of her codename.

Logan shook his head at the overly energetic little spider and made a beeline for his room, where Skye was curled up with her laptop, working away. At first, he didn't say a word as he climbed onto the bed and laid face down next to her. "Find anything fun today?" he asked.

"Nothing's settled out yet," she replied as she glanced his way. "Something happened, but the dust is still settling. You know anything about it?"

"Might have somethin' to do with it," he said before he cracked a little smile. "Seein' as I'm single again."

She blinked at him for a moment before she let out a disbelieving laugh. "You are _not_!"

"Legally, I am."

She all but shoved the laptop away and tackled him in a kiss, grinning widely the whole time.


	41. Put a Ring on It

**Chapter 41: Put a Ring On It**

* * *

 _March 24_

 _Howlett Estate_

* * *

Ever since Viper's death, there had been a different feeling around the big house, and not just because of the celebratory mood half of them were in, or even the fact that the staff was in such high spirits knowing Logan was free of Viper that the dinners and grounds were even better than they'd been at the peak of the house's grandeur.

The kids had simply, suddenly, found themselves with very little to do. Hydra was being routed, and Hill's ground forces were covering most of that. The reports were that the once-proud organization was flailing without a decent head, so there wasn't anything that _needed_ more than just the usual SHIELD troops, especially since Werner Von Strucker was in the wind and not leading his failing organization.

Which meant that the residents of the big house were turning their attention, for the first time since they'd been reaped, to life _after_ the war.

Steve and Peggy were already talking about moving back to Five and having their big wedding; Luke wanted to start a bar… A few others like Carol and Rhodey were going to join SHIELD full-time in the Capitol as peacekeepers, a sort of police force while the country was transitioning…

Change was in the air — except for Logan, who came down to stretch and practice his form the same as always that morning.

He was just getting ready to start working over a punching bag — though he hadn't even gotten the wraps on his hands when May interrupted his thoughts.

"It's been three days and I haven't seen any new papers on Coulson's desk," she said, leaning against the wall with her shoulder. "I wouldn't push usually — it's got to be nice not to be married — but we both know the circumstances have changed."

"I'm not tryin' to take my time, if that's what you're wonderin'," he replied, carefully winding the fabric around his hands. "I just don't want her to think she's stuck. Let her get over the shock of one thing at a time. She may not even _want_ to keep me."

May stared at him for a moment before she laughed. "This is the same girl who couldn't stop touching your ring before you got it off." She shook her head at him but had to shrug all the same. "But I take your point."

"It's not a given," he said, looking at her though his face was still downturned.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure there's a very slim chance she doesn't want to marry you," May said with a crooked smirk. "I can't imagine what the circumstances would have to be to line it up that way, but never say never." She took a few steps forward until she was standing right in front of him. "So, when are you asking her?"

"When it looks like she's not freakin' out," he replied.

"She almost always looks that way if you tease her _at all_."

"Haven't been teasin' her," he promised.

"If you had been, I'd know, and this would be an entirely different conversation," she agreed. She settled easily into a fighting stance and nodded his way.

"Think you can knock some sense into me?" he asked with a tiny smirk.

"I think you're about to be a father to Skye's baby — and I want you to be up to snuff," she teased.

"Is that your way of sayin' you can't?"

"Do you need me to?" she challenged. "Because I will. But I was under the impression that's your job."

"I'll be fine," he said. "I just can't get a good spar outta anyone. Figured if I riled you, I might get it."

"Logan," she said, smirking as she rolled her shoulders, "all you have to do is ask."

"More fun to rile ya."

* * *

 _March 25_

 _Howlett Estate_

* * *

When Skye came down to breakfast, most of the usual group was already there, chatting as usual about the possibilities now that Hydra was on the run. Generally, the mood was positive, with Peggy and Kate swapping notes on how to make sure their weddings were the way they wanted — though the conversation centered more on how to keep it from becoming some kind of crazy PR event for SHIELD than on colors and decorations, all things considered.

"Oh look!" Kate said, grinning over the top of her coffee mug, which she saluted Skye with. "She lives!"

"Yes," Skye said, blinking and trying to force a smile.

"Peter has been spreading terrible lies that you died of happiness and we were never gonna get you back," Kate said, waving her friend over, which prompted Peter to roll his eyes.

"Right. _I'm_ the one saying that."

"It was close for a minute there," Skye said with a little laugh.

"Congratulations," Kurt said with a smile.

"Yeah, must be nice not to be committing adultery anymore," America called out.

"Yes, that … was my main concern — and not the evil, nasty bad guy after my sweetheart," Skye said, shooting America a little scrunched-up-nose look. "And of _course_ , whatever names you came up with for me."

"We all know it's that second thing. My names are perfect," America laughed.

"Logan's been in a great mood too," Kate said as she poured some coffee for Skye. "It's all-around coming up daisies over here."

Skye shook her head and picked up her mug. "Yeah, nothing to do but watch for trouble and train. So I'm told."

"Well... that and plan weddings. You're coming to both of ours, of course," Peggy said with a smile her way.

"Do you have dates then?" Skye asked, trying to redirect their attention back to the vast amount of planning they both had to do.

"We didn't want to overlap," Kate explained, motioning between herself and Peggy.

"But honestly, Steve already has most of this sorted," Peggy said. "So we thought we might do a May wedding in the field near where we grew up — and Kate can have her mid-June rose garden wedding."

"Yeah, I heard the staff discussing what they had plotted out for that," Skye said, raising her eyebrows a tiny bit.

"They've already asked if we're planning to stay here until the wedding," Kate said with a grin. "And … I dunno. _I_ want to stay in Seven, at least. But Kurt wants to spend some time with his family for a while…" She waved her hand. "We're working it out."

"We'll probably work it out in her favor," Kurt added with a little smirk.

"You'll love it no matter where you are," Skye said with a little shrug. "You're adorable."

"Yes, we are," Kurt laughed.

"And it's catching," Kate agreed with a grin Skye's way. "You and Logan haven't really left that room, and I swear to you, I caught Nat and Clint _kissing_ the other day."

"Yeah, they've been doing that a lot," Skye said, ignoring the first part of her statement.

"It's a mystery how it happened, too," Kurt said with a smirk.

Skye smiled tightly and tried to ignore the smirk. "What about Peter?" she asked finally. "I thought for sure he'd be in your crosshairs."

Peter looked a bit pink, though he turned a shade darker when Kate leaned over to whisper in Skye's ear, "Not until after he talks to her dad and his aunt."

"So you need a flight to Eight then?" she said with a little grin.

"I… I've got it covered," Peter squeaked out.

"I'm sure that Natasha would take her little spider if he needed a ride," Skye said, smiling his way. "And look threatening to anyone that might deny you."

"True. Mama Spider is the best," Peter said, which was almost immediately followed by 'not my call sign' from further down the table — Natasha didn't even look up.

"Yes it is," Miles called back. "You lost 'Black Widow' to a stabby Wolverine!"

"You're still calling him Wolverine, aren't you?" Natasha said, still without looking up or changing her tone as she buttered her toast.

"Not the point," he said. "You lost that title, Number Two."

"I am _never_ number two," she said, finally looking up with a deep look of betrayal."

"Jessica Drew is Number One, though," he said.

"Are we going by age?"

"Um …. Maybe?"

"Then alright," Natasha said, turning back to her food.

"Are they still fighting over the rankings?" Skye asked Kate quietly.

"It's not so much a fight as much as… they're taking it _seriously_ ," Kate giggled.

"Okay then," she said. "Serious work. How did you Hawkeyes handle this?"

Kate shrugged. "I said I was the best, and Clint has the self esteem of a piece of cardboard. So… ta da."

Skye nearly spit her coffee out and simply set the mug down. "Kate."

"What, did you want me to _lie_?" Kate asked with a growing grin.

"I guess not," she laughed.

"You still don't have a call sign either," Kate pointed out. "If you're looking to get into the Hawkeye business…"

"No, I'm working on it," Skye promised. "Just need to find the right groove. Not _just_ computers."

"Well, if you listen to Pete and Miles, you're the Sabre-destroyer or something like that."

"If that was true, he would _not_ have given me a concussion."

"Well, the boys tend to exaggerate," Kate laughed, sitting back as she grabbed a grapefruit half to get into, though she smirked Skye's way when she saw that the other girl wasn't eating. "Don't need to keep up your strength?" she teased.

"Just … not really hungry," Skye replied, though she did blush the tiniest bit.

"At least have one of the muffins," Kate said. "I don't know what Mrs. O'Malley does to them, but they're _heavenly_."

Skye drew in a breath and looked at the basket of muffins for a moment before she closed her mouth and shook her head. "Maybe later."

At that, Kate raised an eyebrow and leaned in. "You feeling alright?"

"Sure, sure," she said, making sure to smile — though probably a bit wider than necessary.

"Are you trying to lie to a Hawkeye when you have _zero_ game face before your second cup of coffee?" Kate asked, one eyebrow arched high.

"I … have game face," she defended.

"After the second cup," Kate said. "Seriously, what's up? Too much celebrating?"

"Yes. Yes that … that is the trouble exactly. I should go back to sleep."

"You're gonna have to come out of that room eventually, you know," Kate teased.

"Says who?"

"Says Peggy, for one thing," Kate said, elbowing her friend, who looked up from her plans and nodded vaguely. "Got to be there for the weddings, right?"

"Oh, yes. Absolutely," Peggy nodded, catching on.

"And after we get the spiders squared away, we're coming after you," Kate promised Skye, leveling a finger her way. "Gotta get the awesomes all set up for the happy ever after."

Skye blushed, trying to keep her composure, but she had absolutely nothing to say to the insinuation the two of them were laying out.

"Unless you're not interested now that he's footloose and fancy free," Kate added in a low tone that only Skye could hear, looking positively wicked.

Skye turned Kate's way with an incredulous look on her face. " _You_ have been listening to America too much."

"She _is_ my best friend," Kate pointed out.

"And she's ridiculous!"

"And your point is?" Kate just grinned even wider.

"No comment," Skye replied, crossing her arms.

Kurt chuckled and patted Skye's arm. "Don't let her scare you. We know it's all _relief_ right now. I'm sure you're just enjoying things," he said, though he was still grinning impishly.

"You're just as bad as she is," Skye accused.

"You must be mistaken," Kurt said, drawing himself up with a grin. "I am a delight."

"For anyone _not_ in your sights, maybe," Skye countered before she pushed back from the table.

"They'll get over it," Scott promised her from across the table with a small smile. "It's the high of routing Hydra."

"Something tells me you're just … wrong," Skye said his way. "But .. I appreciate it. Really. It's good to know _someone's_ actually on my side."

"We all know the way it'll really happen is you'll just decide and he'll run with it," Scott told her with a little shrug.

"I think you're confusing Logan and Skye with you and Clara," Kurt said with a smirk.

"No, no, that will include Heather," Scott said without hesitating. "She's already pushing; I don't need the help, thanks."

Skye cringed and shook her head. "Yeah … you just need to show up when you're told."

"I've got a handle on it, Skye," he promised. "I mean, I don't have a place as nice as _this_ …" He gestured around the big house with a smirk her way.

Skye stopped and just stared at him for a moment before she threw her hands up his direction. "Oh my God. You are _so_ on their side for this."

"You can't tell me you don't want… Skye, I've known you for how long?" he laughed.

"That is _so not the point._ "

"Nobody told me we were getting a show with breakfast," Miles stage-whispered to Peter, who just shook his head at the younger spider.

"You — _you_ have no room to tease anyone, number four."

"I am fifteen. I'm very, very safe from this conversation," Miles pointed out.

"And with absolutely no business sticking your nose in it either."

"I wasn't?" Miles pointed out. "I was just saying. I need popcorn. I'm just an observer here."

Skye narrowed her eyes at him for just a second. "I'm sure someone else around here could use a spider name and knock you down to number seven," she said before she headed for the stairs.

* * *

 _March 28_

 _Howlett Estate_

* * *

With Hydra on its way out and the war more or less over, it had occurred to the kids that now, they could actually ask people to _visit_.

Or, more appropriately, it had occurred to the stylists that there was the possibility for a big soiree come Easter, and once Jubilee had brought it to Coulson, demanding that something be done 'for the sanity of his operatives', it was a done deal.

From there, Coulson made all the arrangements, including the still secretive transportation of the family members to visit. All of the families were coming in at once with lumberjack escorts up to the big house.

The kids were more than happy to see their family members, and while they were all mobbing them and taking them on walking tours of their temporary home, both Logan and Skye were making a point to just … not.

Still, Kurt was over the moon seeing his twins and his mother again — and Margali wrapped Kate up in a warm hug just seconds before Katie Power ("I'm Katie Power-Wagner now, mister!") tackled Kurt to the floor and informed him that she wanted to be the flower girl, pretty please, because the twins had told her _all_ about how much fun it was going to be.

"How could I say no to that?" Kurt asked. "But you'll have to talk to Kate; she's in charge of all things flower-related."

"She'll let me, because us Katies have to stick together," Katie promised him with a grin and a giggle before she went to do just that, tackling Kate this time to give her the exact same line.

Kate and Katie were deep in conversation about the flowers — and then about every single thing that Katie had been up to in District Nine since they last saw each other — when the rest of the group arrived. Peter and Gwen were totally wrapped up in greeting Aunt May, and when Susan arrived with an adorable, precocious little girl, it really was a Katie reunion as Kate introduced Kurt's new little sister to her little niece.

"That's a lot of Katies," Katie Power said, and Kate just had to laugh.

Susan and Kate of course fell into excited babbling at top speed as soon as they were within two feet of each other — with Susan _over the moon_ excited with wedding prep — though little bitty Katie Bishop managed to find Kurt and just grin up at him, holding up her hands to open and close them. "Up!" she sang out with a little giggle.

Kurt smiled down at the little girl with blonde curls and cherub cheeks as he swept her up and booped her nose. "When did you start talking?" he asked with a grin.

"Oh, a few months ago," Susan said. "She started out with 'dad' and moved from there."

"You've gotta teach her how to say 'Kate' and 'Kurt'," Kate said with a grin as she reached over to tickle her adorable little niece, who fell apart in giggles.

"She can say Kate," Susan said. "Can't you, sweetie?"

Katie giggled and suddenly turned shy, burying her face in Kurt's neck to hide.

Susan laughed and shrugged. "Maybe next time."

* * *

Meanwhile, Peter had decided that he needed to have a very serious talk with Aunt May about something that he was starting to feel was very long overdue. Several of the estate's residents were still playing clean up after the Easter party, but May was in her room, tidying up the last of her portion of the mess when Peter came knocking.

"Come in, Peter; you know you're always welcome. Help me finish making the bed, if you don't mind too much," May said with a little smile.

Peter came in as she'd beckoned and took one end of the blanket that May was currently pulling across her bed. Together, they finished making the bed and straightened the chair and desk that had been knocked askew before May sat down on the bed and patted the blanket next to her. Peter joined her, twisting his fingers together in his lap.

"So, um…" he began. "I've been thinking a lot about Gwen ... me and Gwen... us, I mean ... and I really, really love her, Aunt May. And I want to be with her for the rest of my life, so…" He trailed off for a moment, his gaze flicking to the ring that sat on May's left ring finger. "I want to ask her to marry me."

She beamed at him before she gently wrapped him up in a hug and kissed the side of his head. "I was wondering when you'd get around to that," she told him with a smile. "What can I do to help you along? She'll say yes, you know. It's hard to say no to that face."

Peter beamed back at her. "Well… I need… you know, a ring. And I was wondering if I could maybe use yours?"

"Oh," she said, the beaming grin softening to one of a gentle fondness. "That would be lovely, Peter. I'm sure it will last you both for years and years."

Peter let out a small sigh. "Thank you, Aunt May." He wrapped her up in a hug. "Thank you so much."

"Anything for you, Peter," May replied. "You should know that by now. You only have to ask." When the hug let up, she immediately removed the ring on her hand and handed it over. "That's a lucky ring, Peter. Make it special when you ask her — and less stammering, dear. Speak clearly."

Peter rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Yes, Aunt May. I will, I promise."


	42. Upstaged by Bambi

**Chapter 42: Upstaged by Bambi**

* * *

 _March 30_

 _Howlett Estate_

* * *

With everyone dropping little hints Skye's way, she was a little bit antsy. When she realized that it was just a matter of time before Heather figured out they were having a little one and flipped out, she wanted to bury herself in the blankets and hide until it was over, or everyone went home. Which wouldn't really make much difference when it came to Heather, actually.

Logan, however, had been more or less trying to avoid the crowd and go about his usual training regimen, though that was hard to keep up when he had Agent May making almost daily appearances to stand against the wall and watch him work until he was ready to spar.

When he finally let out a breath and squared up with her, it wasn't long before she noticed that he simply wasn't putting his all into it. To catch his attention, she swept his feet out from under him and watched him for a moment as he stayed down. "Is that all you've got?" she asked.

"No," he replied. "Just not really into it."

"Go do the right thing already," she directed. "I know you want to — so what's stopping you?"

"You know damn well what's stoppin' me," Logan countered from the ground before May offered him her hand and pulled him up.

"And I'm telling you: you're wrong. I don't care what that woman told you—" She stopped short when he looked her way suspiciously. May let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. "Come on. You think I haven't figured _that_ out? She had to have done something when no one else was around, or Xavier would have fixed it. Whatever it was — you're smart enough to know that it was a lie."

"I'm gonna hit the shower. Sooner or later, I'm gonna have to show my face," Logan said, not really acknowledging what May had said as he headed for the door.

When he finally got to where Skye was — still asleep and curled up in bed — he let out a breath and crawled into bed behind her. He was now well into the habit of warning her before he put his arm around her.

She smiled to herself as he nuzzled in and kissed her neck below her ear. It was the _right_ way to wake up, after all. When she rolled over in his arms, she didn't have time for the normal smart alecky response before he started to kiss her. Not that she was complaining.

When the kiss finally broke, he got what he was thinking off of his chest. "I know you're under a lot of pressure," he said. "And I am sorry for that. For lettin' all this happen the way it did. That's on me. And it is not at all how I wanted to see this go."

She looked a little wide-eyed, unsure of where he was going with it. "But," he said, drawing in a breath. "I think it's gonna be fine. And even when everyone starts pushin' you ... I want to make it clear: I was planning to ask you to marry me _before any of this came up_. I just didn't have my mess straightened out. And I don't want you to think that I'm bringin' it up just because of the baby."

"Well…"

"Yeah. I know. Seems like I kind of am anyhow. Shut up," he replied with a little sparkle of trouble in his gaze. "I had a ring made," he told her. "I just … didn't get to pick it up." He let out a breath. "It's in One. And I didn't have any desire to go there for _anything_ once Viper pulled her little stunt."

Skye frowned, not sure if he was still moving forward or if this was an explanation of why he _wasn't_ or… what. "So..."

"So ... I want you to actually think about it," he said. "I _am_ asking you to marry me — but I won't take an answer until you have a chance to really think it over." He paused and had to add in a little tease. "Of course, of you need me to show you the ring first …"

She paused, as if she was waiting to see if he had anything else to say, watching him with one eye closed for a long moment. Finally, she said, "Yeah, that _is_ traditional…. Wearing a ring and all." Her eyes were sparkling with trouble. "Or are you trying to make sure we do things as out of order as possible?"

"Goin' for less pressure from me."

"Which I appreciate," she admitted with a nod and a sigh. She tucked into him a little closer and rested her forehead on his shoulder. "So… come back with a ring and do it properly. Let's get _one_ thing right," she decided with a smirk.

"Should be interestin'," he said, tipping his head to the side.

She looked up to meet his gaze with a spark of trouble there. "Or did you want to go for the full reversal and let me get yours first?"

"I want you to _think_ about it."

"I _have_ been, you goon," she pointed out, gesturing toward her stomach. "What do you think I've been hiding out here thinking about, the weather?"

"I just don't want you making any bigger mistakes. That's all I'm saying."

At that, she reached up and smacked him across the back of the head. "You ever say that word again in relation to _any_ of this and I'll hit you harder," she swore.

He gave her a look and leaned his head back. "You're gonna need to put more English on it if you're gonna make a threat like that."

"Don't really _need_ to, seeing as I'm right," she shot back.

"Right. I forgot how much directors hate to admit when they're wrong," he teased. "I'll … have someone take care of that as soon as this fiasco here is over."

"Which one? The invasion of all the families and small, small children?" she teased.

"Yeah, that's the one," he agreed. "Coulson's not lettin' anyone out to play right now."

"That's 'cause we don't need to be," Skye pointed out. "I see the reports, Logan. This thing is going to be over in a matter of weeks. They're really just dotting the i's and crossing the t's."

"You don't know that," he replied.

"I know I haven't seen any increased chatter from Hydra — or from anyone else who wants to make a play."

"Didn't say it was Hydra — and not everyone is going to have their chatter where you can find it so easy."

"You are just… so, so paranoid," she teased him. "It's over. We won. Viper's gone, and so's everyone else."

"I sincerely hope you're right on that."

"I am — and what's more, I'll tell you I'm right about something else." She sat up a little better to kiss him. "I _have_ been thinking about it. But _you_ have to tell the staff we're getting married — because I still think you're wrong on that front."

"That _will_ have to wait until I get the ring, then," he said. "Or you will never _ever_ hear the end of it for as long as we're here."

"See? My hero already," she said with a contented little grin as she snuggled him a little better.

* * *

 _April 2_

 _Howlett Estate_

* * *

The morning was dedicated entirely to a little celebration for Katie Bishop, who was having her first ever birthday and was getting completely spoiled rotten by the staff.

It was even more ridiculous when you factored in the that one of the few words little Katie could say was 'dankoo' in her brightest tones as she politely accepted kisses, sweets, and anything else anyone wanted to give her — and the cute little curly-headed blonde just had the whole house wrapped around her finger.

But even for as much as the staff was spoiling her, Katie's favorite things to do were either showing off the few words she could say for her Aunt 'Kay' and her Uncle Kurt, whose name she couldn't yet say — or playing with 'Dosh,' who was thrilled to see her and kept trying to teach her all the names of his brothers and sisters.

"I can't believe he remembers her," Susan told Heather with a smile, and Heather just grinned.

"Of course he does — she's too darling."

In the meantime, Logan had managed to find a quiet corner, and he and Agent May were very quietly conversing, their backs to the group as they did their best to keep the discussion private. Any time anyone walked even in the realm of their conversation, both of them stopped what they were doing and looked over their shoulders until the interloper moved on.

That was the state of things when the two youngest people in the house came crashing through, giggling madly and playing tag — though Josh was obviously _letting_ Katie catch up to him. But on seeing two of his favorite people, Josh just grinned and ran over to May, with Katie behind him calling out 'Dosh, Dosh' over and over as she tried to keep up.

May turned around all the way with a slight smile as Josh attached himself to her leg. "Are you sure you don't want to play with Katie?"

He giggled and shook his head as he hugged her leg. "She's getting tired," he said in a very quiet whisper — and true enough, Katie had just plopped herself down a few feet away and rubbed at her eyes.

"You should snuggle her," May suggested, even as she gave him a one-armed hug for the way he was wrapped around her.

Josh giggled and nodded at that, running over to where Katie was now that he'd gotten a hug from May to give her a little hug. But when he tried to get her to get back up off the floor, she stubbornly shook her head and kept rubbing at her eyes, and Josh looked up at the two adults with a clear 'help' expression.

"Maybe I should go get Susan," May suggested, flat cutting out and leaving Logan behind with the two little ones.

"Subtle," Logan called out as May shot him a little smile and shooed him forward to handle the little ones.

"Go on, use your gift. You don't want to lose the magic touch with the little ones," she teased before she slipped into the crowd.

A quick look around proved that Susan and anyone else of any use simply weren't in sight — just as Katie was rubbing her eyes harder she started to quietly cry.

Josh gasped and looked up at Logan, and before Katie could get herself more keyed up, Logan let out a breath and closed the short distance to crouch down in front of her. "You alright, lil' darlin'?" he asked to catch her attention.

She looked up at him and instead of answering just pushed herself to her feet and made a few fast steps his way with her arms up, saying 'up, up.'

He barely had her into a hug when she just melted into his shoulder and snuggled in. He picked her up and stood to look for her mother, but still, she was missing as Katie let out a hitched sigh and wriggled into his shoulder, one hand on the side of his neck and the other curled under her chin.

"She likes you," Josh giggled, not helping all that much as he rushed over to try and join the snuggling, attaching to Logan's leg with a grin.

"Do you know where her mother is?" Logan asked him, though Josh was just grinning and shaking his head. Logan looked across the room and decided on the course of action. "You gonna let me walk over to that couch — or do I need to drag you?"

In answer, Josh practically sat on his foot, wrapping himself tighter and giggling.

"Perfect," he muttered over Josh's giggles before he simply started walking that way. When he got to the couch, he barely got seated before Josh climbed up to snuggle in, 'helping' Katie with one hand on her back.

"Well, that better not be you prepping, because I'm only having _one_ of these at a time," Skye said from the doorway with a crooked smirk as she leaned on the doorframe with her arms crossed.

"You are _not_ funny," he replied. "And watch yourself. That's a sure fire way to drag trouble on yourself if I ever heard it."

"I think we pretty much have the trouble covered," she said, though she sat down next to him and almost immediately got a little 'hi' from Josh and a wave.

"Josh's been helpin' her," Logan explained. "And he was sure to help her right over to me."

"He's a Hudson," Skye said as if that explained everything — which it kind of did.

"That doesn't explain her," he pointed out.

"She's a Bishop _and_ a Kate," Skye said with a shrug. "If she doesn't find a bow by age five, Kate isn't doing her job right."

"Who are you kidding?" Logan said. "You know damn well she'll have one for her by this time next year."

"And it'll be purple," Skye agreed, settling in to join the snuggle with her head on his shoulder.

"So what do you think — she got caught up on weddings or creeping around the corner so I'm just stuck? Because, like you said, she's a Bishop."

"Well, I didn't pass her on the way, so she's probably with the other one that looks just like her doing the finishing each other's sentences thing," Skye said.

"May was supposed to _get_ her."

"Then May'll get her," Skye said, though this time she was shaking her head. "Though that explains why she sent me this way. I thought you _needed_ something."

"Your mom is vicious."

"We've been through this. She's not my mom," Skye laughed.

"Might as well be," he argued. "She acts like it."

"Just call her my Heather," Skye said.

"Nah, Heather's more like a pesty, nosy _older_ sister."

Skye laughed as she scooped Josh out of Logan's lap to at least give him _some_ help. "Hear that, Josh? What's that make him, your uncle?"

" _Cousin_ ," Josh corrected her.

"He knows all about it, right, bud?" Logan said with a little wink his way, and Josh giggled and nodded in agreement.

The two of them were stuck with the little ones for a while until finally May returned with Susan, who looked positively delighted to see little Katie asleep on Logan's shoulder. "Oh, thank you," she laughed as she scooped up her little one.

"Sure," he said starting to stretch out a little and put his arm around Skye instead. "She picked it. Josh backed her up."

"Josh has been darling, haven't you, honey?" Susan said Josh's way, and Josh giggled delightedly, nodding as he hopped off of Skye's lap, done 'helping' now that Katie was back with her mom.

Skye waited until they were gone before she laid her head back down on his shoulder. "There's gonna be jokes as soon as we tell people. You know that, right? About your magic power or whatever?"

"Sweetheart, there'd be jokes no matter what. Either gotta ignore it or throw it right back at 'em."

"I'm just saying. Just… psyching myself up for it, too, honestly," she said with a shrug. "But we _should_ tell them before they start noticing… things."

"Your call on timing," he said. "I'll just hit anyone that ticks you off too much."

"Once I can work up the nerve to tell Heather…" She laughed. "That's the hard part."

"You won't need to tell anyone else. They'll hear the screeching in Twelve."

"Exactly," Skye said, tapping the side of her nose with her index finger. "Once I get there… I think we'll _have_ to tell everyone."

"For your own sanity, you might want to start with Mac — and then act like you didn't expect him to spill. He can't keep his mouth shut either."

"Smart man."

* * *

 _April 4_

 _Howlett Estate_

* * *

When Peter found Gwen, she was with Kamala and Miles — the three of them laughing and having a good time in general. As he came to a stop next to them, she looked up at him with a wide grin.

"Hey, Peter! Miles was just trying to steal your crown as the king of the jokesters."

"Can't let that happen," Peter replied with a smile before he looked around them a bit nervously. "But ... I can defend that later. Would you maybe wanna take a little walk with me?" he asked before he looked to Miles with raised eyebrows. "You know ... alone?"

Gwen looked to the other two for a moment before she gave him a strange look. "Of course, that might be a nice change of pace," she replied before she waved to Kamala and Miles, and she headed out the back door through the gardens with him. They barely got out of the door when she took Peter's hand in hers and all but wrapped herself around his arm as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

She was smiling and generally in high spirits as they took in the swaying pines and the bright patches of spring flowers starting to pop up. It took him some time to build the nerve, but once they were near the treeline — and the estate's vast buildings were in the distance — he finally thought he could do it.

He'd been playing with the ring in his pocket for most of the walk out there as they shared a bit of quiet small talk, and as was sometimes the case, he was simply quiet when in her company. He felt no pressure to entertain when he was with her.

"You know, this time last year, the world didn't even know we were alive," Gwen said suddenly. "And now we've beaten the Capitol… Hydra… what do we do now?" She gave him a quizzical look, and it was painfully clear that she'd taken him off-guard.

"I think right now we just… let the dust settle and do what we can to make sure it ends up being better when it's all said and done," Peter said, surprising himself at his good answer. She gave him an almost proud look before she nodded her head in agreement, and he let out a long breath before he started babbling about how Kurt and Kate actually planned to _live_ there in Seven.

"I mean, it's pretty, but I don't know that I could be waaay out here in all the cold weather. It looks like something off of a postcard everywhere, but I'm still kind of afraid it's going to snow any minute," he said, gaining his confidence a bit as he chattered. "And there's not much to _do,_ you know?" He'd relaxed enough that he'd regained his easy gait and was again talking with his hands — when she gasped and put her hand on his chest to stop him.

" _Look!_ " she said in a loud whisper, her gaze fixed on a little spotted fawn as it raised its head over the top of the tall grass. "We don't have those in Eight — oh my gosh, she's so pretty!"

"How do you know it's a she?" Peter asked as they watched the fawn, clearly a newborn and _adorable_ , look back at them with big, wide eyes.

"Look at her! Of course it's a she; look at her eyes, Peter. Way too pretty to be a boy."

"I don't know — my eyelashes are awfully long," he defended before she cuffed him in the shoulder and gave him a look. He smirked to himself and kept quiet long enough for the little fawn to wobble off toward the trees, its little tail flagging behind it as it went.

Gwen turned back to him, with a wide smile. "Ok, that was cool. But what did you want to talk to me about, Peter? I know you didn't want me all alone to chat about the weather."

His cheeks flushed the slightest bit as he ran his hand across the back of his neck. "Yeah, I — I just wanted to take — a — nice walk with you," he said slowly before he bent down and picked a few flowers that happened to be nearby. "See where it went." He gave her a little smile before offering her the flowers.

She tipped her head a bit to the side and nodded once before she took the little makeshift bouquet. "Alright, well ... let's walk." She pulled him along, away from where they'd seen the little deer, and it wasn't long before Peter was again trying to work up his nerve.

"So, I have a kinda serious question for you," Peter said as he pulled her to a stop.

"You do? You? Serious? I dunno, Peter," she teased with one eyebrow arched up before she buried her nose in the flowers again. "Sounds like a stretch."

"Very funny," he replied with a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "No, I do; I have something serious."

The smile on her face grew as she turned to face him and took a few steps closer. "How serious is it that we had to come all the way out here?" she asked.

He couldn't help but smile wider. "Gwen, I—"

"Oh! I think it's following us," she said suddenly as the little deer made its appearance again — much closer than before. He let out a huff as he turned to look at the little deer with her, then around at the trees. The mood was blown — and contrary to what she liked to tell everyone, she was just as distractible as he was.

"I guess _he_ is," Peter replied. "Think we ought to — I dunno — try to feed it or something? I think I saw an apple tree back near the garden."

Before she could answer, the little deer turned on its heels and bolted this time — flat running away from the forest and the kids. "We should probably get back if the little thing was that scared," Gwen reasoned with a frown. "No telling what's out here in the woods."

"Yeah, yeah we should," Peter agreed, his tone a bit down as he gave her a tight smile and they started back to the house.

Halfway back, she frowned to herself, realizing that they'd never actually _talked_. "What were you about to say back there?" she asked.

He looked a little surprised but quickly shook his head. "Oh, nothing. Nothing, really. Just ... thought I'd tell you how glad I am that you're here. Again," Pete replied, his smile quite a bit more genuine.

She frowned at him but stopped just to give him a kiss. "You don't need to get me alone for that," Gwen said quietly. "But you're welcome to do so any time."

When they got back into the house, Gwen gave him a quick kiss and rushed off — something about a promise she'd made to Natasha — and Peter was left alone in the kitchen for a moment. He smiled as she left and even went so far as to wave.. before he covered his face with both hands and tried not to scream while he kept quietly repeating ' _stupid'_ to himself, muttering under his breath about the error of his ways.

He was mid- silent rant when Kurt walked into the room and just stood there for a moment until Peter quit pacing and cursing himself and looked up to belatedly notice him. "Oh, hi," Pete said, his arm popping up in a half hearted wave. "Um ... how long have you been standing there?"

Kurt smirked softly and found the nearest seat. "Long enough," he said. "Is there a reason you're punishing yourself?"

"Oh, not really. I just … kinda realized how stupid I sounded just now with Gwen. So you know. Nothing … that I should be surprised by." He let out a weary sigh and all but dropped into the seat next to Kurt. "How ... I mean…." He shook his head to himself. "How did you avoid precocious deer when you asked Kate … you know?"

Kurt blinked at Peter for a moment, not quite sure where he was going. "Deer?" he repeated. He shook his head and decided to ask the more important question. "When I asked Kate… to marry me, you mean?"

Peter shifted a bit in his seat and looked both ways and over his shoulder. "That's what I said, isn't it?" he asked quietly.

Kurt chuckled. "Not entirely," he replied. He mirrored Peter's movement, looking over his shoulder, before he leaned forward. "Are you going to ask her, then?" he asked with a growing smile. "It's time."

"Well, I already _tried_ , but the stupid adorable baby deer got in the way." Peter was almost pouting as he said it. "I had a _plan._ It was a good one, too. And now? Nothing. If I even tried to take her back out there, she'd be looking for Bambi."

Kurt couldn't help but chuckle at that. "So that's the precocious deer," he muttered, shaking his head. "Well, you'll have to find a new plan. Somewhere away from the deer, I think. I'm sure Logan knows a few spots around Seven."

"Oh no — I'm not asking him anything," Peter insisted. "He's likely to set me up for a fall."

"Not for something this important," Kurt assured him. "He likes Gwen, and he likes you — believe it or not." He sighed and looked around. "I'm sure we can think of something between us if you don't want to go to Logan, though."

"You think he'd _not_ tease me over this?" Pete asked with a cringe. "Because I'm sure … I'm sure there would be teasing, and I don't need it."

"Oh, there will be teasing," Kurt said with a slight smirk. "Maybe not now, but there _will_ be teasing from everyone, Peter. Even afterward. As soon as you ask her — as soon as people find out — you're just going to have to get used to it."

"Right. Yeah. I know. I guess I can take it if I have to," Peter said with a nod. "Maybe you could go with me for that part — the asking advice? I'm sure you have some secret semaphore that the two of you have going on and you can tell him to be nice, right?"

"It's not such a secret," Kurt said with a grin. "I just say, 'Logan, please be nice.'"

"Yeah, but I think he's gotta hear it in your dulcet tones, my friend."

Kurt's grin widened. "We'll find out," he said, indicating the kitchen door. "Although I think in your state, he might not need to hear it. You look like you've been run over, Peter."

"By a baby deer. I'm sure that's a good look." Peter spun around and acted like he was trying to see his own back. "Are there hoof prints? I feel like there might be tiny hoof prints. From the trampling."

"You're checking the wrong side," Kurt teased. "I think it's your heart you need to worry about."

"Right. Well. Let's … get this over with. You know ... while I'm already half trampled."

"Let's go this way," Kurt suggested once they were out of the kitchen, indicating a hall to the left. "I know we might be able to stop Logan's teasing, but if Kate hears about this… I'm sorry, but I can't do a thing to help you."

"Let's not tell her then? Maybe?" Peter said with his shoulders shrugged to his ears.

"Good idea." Kurt smiled and led the way toward where he'd last seen Logan, further down the halls. He peeked inside a room with a grand piano in it, and he paused when he realized that Logan wasn't alone. Kate was there as well, just chatting easily and excitedly about the possibilities of places they were looking at living in Seven.

"Sorry to interrupt, _liebling,_ " Kurt said with a grin. "But we need to borrow Logan - unless you need him to help you."

Kate shrugged easily. "He's all yours. I can always ask Scott; he's the one who's been saving up for a place since he was ten." She waved her hand. "Take good care of him — feed him and water him and all that stuff," she added with a smirk.

"Yeah, and they'll follow you home," Logan countered with a little glare.

"I don't mind — I like Clara," Kate laughed. "And Scott's actually funny if you catch him right."

"Everyone likes Clara — and I have yet to see that from Scott," Logan replied before he let Kurt and Peter lead the way to quieter, more secluded grounds. "You guys have something in mind — or was this a mercy save from the constant wedding talk?"

Kurt chuckled and closed the door to the room at the end of the hall once they were all inside. Even though everyone had thoroughly explored the place, there were some rooms no one had found a use for yet, and judging by the sheets draped over the furniture, this was one of them.

"Somethin' wrong?" Logan asked, crossing his arms when he took a good look at Peter.

"Nothing's _wrong_ ," Kurt said with a slight smile. "We've actually come to your for advice, _mein Freund_. Or ... Peter has."

Logan turned to Peter at that. "What the hell about?"

"Well," Pete said, half holding his breath. "I … need a place to take Gwen. Where we can … have a little minute without everyone popping in ... or … any … deer in the way."

Logan tipped his head to the side and blinked a few times. "I don't even want to know what that's about, do I?" he replied with a little shake of his head. "You want privacy, lock the door so no one walks in on you. Or is this something else?"

When Peter looked down at the ground and mumbled his response, Kurt stepped in to try and save his friend further embarrassment. "He's looking for a spot to propose, Logan. One without any distractions. Or ... deer, apparently."

Logan's change in expression was marked. "Oh," he said quietly as he mulled it over. "If you want to be sure to avoid everything ... might be smart to take a boat out on the lake. And unless she's a good swimmer, she won't leave you standin', either. Might want to skip the whole kneeling thing though." When Peter gave him a look and opened his mouth to say something, Logan cut him off. "You got a ring?"

Kurt's head whipped Peter's way as Pete nodded. "Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do," Peter said, showing the other two his aunt's ring with a small smile.

"Good luck then," Logan told him with a smirk. "She'll likely surprise you half to death when she says yes."


	43. Wedding Planning and Tiny Kiddies

**Chapter 43: Wedding Planning and Tiny Kiddies**

* * *

 _April 5_

 _Howlett Estate_

* * *

When May got back from her trip to One, she couldn't hide the smirk all the way down to go find Logan. She'd picked up the ring, like he asked — but more than that, she'd seen the paperwork, and she knew how long Logan had been wanting to do this. So she was sure to hit Logan in the side of the arm with a grin when she saw him.

"August?"

"Yeah, well. It went south on me fast," he replied.

"No kidding." She handed him the small bag and shook her head. "I expect to hear the screaming down the hall when you start telling people."

"As long as you don't kick it off prematurely, we should be just fine."

"I keep secrets for a living; you're fine," she said.

"You were smiling when you walked through the door," Logan pointed out, keeping _his_ poker face in check.

"Yes, I was. Actually, if you look at the records, I was looking into a place that Steve would like to rent out for a honeymoon," she smirked. "I can multitask."

"Like you needed to cover your tracks on this," he said, shaking his head. "No one's paying attention to that crap but me right now."

"I think you underestimate the people at the top of SHIELD," she said with a smirk.

"I think they have better things to worry about," he countered. "Like … Tahiti. And I don't mean the kids."

"You know he's coming here, right? To finish off the whole mess?"

"I saw the order for a full security sweep, yeah," he said. "So he can go to Tahiti."

"How do you even know about that, anyway?" she asked with one eyebrow raised. "I only know because I introduced them."

"I spent enough time with him to see things," Logan replied.

"Well, do me a favor and wait to tell the rest of them until after he's gone."

"I haven't told anyone," he replied. "And I don't want to scare him off. If anyone ever needed some time on a beach, it's him."

"The same could be said for you — but you'd rather spend it in the woods," May pointed out with a smirk.

"I have perfectly good reasons to be paranoid, thankyouverymuch."

"You do," she said, nodding. "So go propose to one of them already, would you?"

He took the papers from her and took a few steps away. "Technically, I already did."

May broke into an honest grin at that. "She didn't tell me."

"She doesn't know how invested you are, ' _Mom'_."

"Well, I'm sure you're going to straighten her out on that," May said, turning to leave with a little wave. "Have fun."

* * *

It was a couple hours later that Skye made her way, practically floating, down to the other end of the mansion from where she and Logan were staying, the diamond ring with blue topaz accents glittering on her left hand finger, though that wasn't the only thing she was in a good mood about.

It took her a while to track down the Hudsons, and she somehow wasn't surprised to find that they were engaged in an all-out snowball fight with the kids — most of those under age ten versus Mac, who was taking his beating like a man as they swarmed him.

"You know, people are gonna say you've lost your edge if they see you getting taken to the ground this often," she teased as she helped him back to his feet and the kids scattered for hot cocoa.

"It _was_ in the job description," Mac defended with a grin just before someone threw a snowball that pelted him in the side of the face.

"True," she had to admit, shaking her head. "So are you guys planning to stick around then? I mean, after the dust settles and people start to clear out?"

"What kind of question is that?" Heather said with a scrunched up nose. "This … Seven is _home._ "

"Well, I just meant ... you're going to be staying close, right? Because … I may need some help in the near future," she said, shuffling her feet together for a moment.

"SHUT. UP," Heather said, wide-eyed as she caught at least an idea of where Skye was going with this. "You … better not be _lying to me_."

Skye very quickly held up her hands and turned the left one so Heather could see the ring there. "Not lying — see?" she said fast.

Heather let out a delighted squeal and bounded over to wrap Skye up in a hug, laughing outright. "Well, it's about _time_."

Skye beamed and returned the hug — before she just _had_ to spill: "He's had it ordered since _August_."

Both Heather and Mac stopped for a moment and shared a look. "Oh … that … just makes me mad that I didn't get to kill that woman myself," Heather said.

"Trust me, you're not alone — but that's not the point right now?" Skye said with a little laugh.

"Right. We need to do a little planning," Heather said with a decisive nod. "Fall or spring?"

"It… should probably be early fall," Skye said, taking a deep breath. "If we wait until spring, it'll be… ah… harder."

"Why? Worried about the competition for spring weddings?" Mac laughed as he tossed Josh in the air.

"Worried about being murdered in my sleep by the staff if I don't marry him before we have a baby," Skye said, almost too quiet for them to catch.

For just a moment, the smiles melted away entirely as they stared at her, open-mouthed. "Are you serious?" Heather asked, the smile starting to reappear slowly.

"Simmons says November." Skye nodded with an almost sheepish smile. "Surprise?"

"And you want to wait for fall?" Mac said with a frown. "Why?"

"Early fall? And you're the one who said fall or spring," she pointed out. "I was picking the sooner of the two options."

"You can correct us to summer ... or …. _this_ spring," Heather said in a breathy tone. "You have an army of stylists at your disposal. You could do it next week."

"That… that is really soon," Skye said falteringly. "I just… don't want it to seem like we're … jumping in because of the baby…"

"Oh, who cares what it seems like to anyone else?" Mac said. "You have the receipt for the thing that says last August. Stop already."

Skye stared at him for a long moment before a small smile started at the corner of her mouth and then started to grow. "So… "

"So pick when you want to do it and go tell your fiance's stylist when it is," Heather said, shooing her with both hands.

"Okay, but I need you two to help me with something, then," Skye said, now with a spark of trouble. "I… might have an idea for an officiant." When both of them nodded and seemed to be waiting for her to continue, she grinned outright. "So... you know how Fury's coming in a couple weeks to do the official 'well done' to the troops?"

"We do now," Mac said.

"Want to help me pin him down and tell him he's got one last duty to perform before he's through with us?" Skye asked, grinning even wider.

"You got it," Mac said, unable to stop his crooked grin. "Is this a surprise for Logan then?"

"The officiant part? Oh yeah," Skye said with a little laugh. "But I'm _not_ going to spring a whole wedding on him, come _on_. I'm not that mean."

"Just tell us what you need," Heather said.

"I just need some backup," she said. "And some help… if we're going to do this in two weeks…"

"I was demonstrating a point," Heather said. "Take your time — but I want to see it done sooner than _fall._ "

"No, no — this is probably the last chance we'll get to snag him — Fury, I mean — and it's just _perfect,_ and it would be the perfect end cap to this whole nonsense…" Skye said, nodding thoughtfully.

"You better go tell the right people, then," Mac said.

"Yeah, I'd better," Skye said before she was sure to give Heather and Mac both a hug. "Don't. Tell. A soul," she said seriously. "I want to see the look on Logan's friends' faces — and Peter Parker has no poker face."

"So you're not expecting to get it past Logan then?" Mac asked.

"I meant the other stuff," she said, flushing furiously. "I have _some_ game face."

"Oh, so you want to spring the wedding on everyone _else._ " Mac was grinning, obviously trying to rile her.

"NO." She shook her head at both of them. "I just want to be the one to tell them it's happening. Why are you _like_ this?"

"You do know they're cousins, right?" Heather said in a mock whisper.

"It's times like these that I'm reminded of that, yeah," she said, shaking her head as she lightly hit Mac in the arm. "Come _on_."

But Mac chuckled and shrugged lightly. "Hey. I'm just saying: if you want full dramatic effect? Don't tell everyone. Kurt will be furious that he didn't think of it."

"Kurt should probably know. I mean… he'll be _in_ the wedding."

"Okay. Fine. Kurt. But … the rest? Come on, Skye. It'd be golden," Mac said with a grin.

She finally had to laugh at him. "Okay, troublemaker. But if I get mobbed by angry people, I'm pointing them _your_ way."

"That too was in the job description," Mac reminded her.

"Seeing the family resemblance," Skye teased before she wrapped him up in a hug again.

* * *

 _April 10_

 _Howlett Estate_

* * *

After several long days of outright celebrating not having to deal with the war — or anything else, for that matter — the truth of the matter was that it was time to get back to life. The Wagners had already gone back to Nine to help with the rebuilding efforts there, and Peter's aunt had slipped out just that morning. Susan and her little family were headed home, too, though Katie had figured out that they were leaving and was rather upset, little hiccups and fits punctuating the whole day; she had to hug Josh at least three times with the saddest 'bye Dosh' anyone had ever seen.

She of course had to give both Peter and Gwen hugs, and when she got to Logan, she kissed his nose and snuggled into him for a while before she was willing to let go. He let her snuggle in, and before he thought about setting her down, he tipped his head close to hers with one hand on the back of her head as he whispered something very quietly to her.

The tears started to ease up, and she put on a very brave little face as she nodded — and the two of them shared a look before she gave him a little smile and he handed her over to Kurt.

She snuggled Kurt as hard as she had Logan, and when he gave her a squeeze back, she said very clearly, 'bye Eff.'

Kurt looked totally surprised before he let out a laugh and snuggled her just as hard right back. "We'll see you soon, Katie," he promised. "Remember? When we get married?"

She nodded seriously. "Otay."

Kate laughed and plucked her niece out of Kurt's arms to give her a snuggle too. "Okay, I'm breaking this up before you get any more… gooey," she said in a voice that was already fairly 'gooey' on its own.

Finally, the little Bishop family headed out, and as soon as they were in the jet, Kurt turned to Logan and smacked him in the arm. "She is too _young_ for your army!"

Logan started to chuckle at that though. "Hey. If they come to me for … whatever the hell that is, I'll help 'em. It's on the sign on my back — right next to the one requesting ninjas."

"Still," Kurt said, letting his breath out in a huff. "Two weeks of trying to get her to say 'Kurt,' and you… honestly."

"Didn't know you were working on 'Kurt'," Logan defended. "And 'Elf' is easier."

"It is," Kurt had to admit, a little grudgingly. "But that _is_ my soon-to-be niece, and you're corrupting her already for your army."

"I'm _not_ corrupting her," Logan argued as they headed toward the house.

"Yet."

"Did I corrupt you?"

"I am not a little girl for your army," Kurt pointed out.

"I don't have an army." Logan was shaking his head at the ridiculousness of it.

"No? Go out into the main square sometime and start counting," Kurt teased.

"You mean the empty square? Appropriate."

"The one that will not be empty the moment your _army_ sees you," Kurt corrected him.

"Kate — your fiance is crazy," Logan called out.

"The good kind!" Kate called back with a laugh. "What's he doing now?"

"Only speaking the truth," Kurt replied easily.

"Spreading vicious lies," Logan argued.

"My fiance never, ever lies," Kate said in a truly insulted-sounding voice.

"Now you're lying to cover for him," Logan said. "Shameful."

Kate grinned even wider. "Well, we're in tandem."

"You're somethin' alright," Logan said in a low rumble.

Kate laughed as she caught up to the two of them and kissed Logan's cheek before she threaded her arm through Kurt's. "And you love us."

"You act like it's a choice," he replied.

"It really isn't," she said with a laugh and a wave as she skipped off with Kurt, grinning widely the whole time.

* * *

 _April 15_

 _Howlett Estate_

* * *

It was late morning when Skye finally managed to get herself together and out of bed. It had been a measure of how different things were for her ever since the staff had found out what exactly was going on —and they'd started to absolutely spoil her. There was no need to rush downstairs when they were _bringing her_ the coffee and whatever else she'd mentioned she liked.

Logan had told her that if she wanted to make it stop, she just had to say so — or get up earlier — but all things considered … it wasn't horrible, and she had plenty of time to wake up that way. But when she did finally get downstairs, it was to find Kate and Peggy comparing notes … again... though this time, they had their stylists involved in the discussion.

Noh seemed to be overly excited about something, and when Skye sat down, it was to overhear the end of the discussion on what he wanted to do with the twins' outfits.

"I think I could do something quite nice with a purple trim," Noh said, and Kate looked so tickled by the idea. "Of course, Warren has lovely ideas for deep blue for Kurt, but if we did a deep purple for the groomsmen to match your bridesmaids…"

Skye raised her eyebrows at the amount of detail going into their plans — though she didn't have the chance to say or do anything before Mrs. O'Malley swept through and set a fresh cup of green tea in front of her with a little smile before she disappeared again ... before Skye could even thank her.

Kate glanced up at Skye and grinned. "Told you they'd come around."

"Yeah, you're not the only one either," she said into her cup.

"No coffee?"

"I already had some earlier," Skye said with a wave. "This stuff smells really good too. You should step out of your comfort zone and _try it._ "

"Yeah… I'll take you up on it some other time," Kate said, shaking her head.

"Caffeine is just as good," Skye said with a shrug.

"That's not the point," Kate argued. "The point is that coffee is beautiful."

"Well, this is much prettier than the matcha tea, let me tell you. That stuff looks like foamy pond water."

"I'm not drinking foamy pond water."

"Then don't let Logan take you to tea in Three," she advised. "Or you will."

"Skye," Noh said, leaning forward with a little smile and breaking into their conversation, "what do you think — can you help me convince Warren to let me line the suits with purple?"

"Me?" she asked, looking surprised to be brought into it. "I thought Jubilee blacklisted me after the flannel incident."

"Yes, well," Noh said with his smile widening, "I value your opinion on these matters. What do you think — colored lining?"

"That's … really your call," she said, managing to keep her poker face at his not at all subtle fishing spree.

"Then it's settled. Purple lining," Noh said with a nod, though when Jubilee came back from getting her coffee and sat next to him, she was sure to kick him in the shin and give him a look.

"The line is going nuts," Kate whispered to Skye loud enough that everyone could hear it.

"Playing footsie under the table," Peggy said in an undertone.

"We should really give them space. And privacy. And a room," Kate agreed.

"They have all those things," Peggy pointed out. "They lack the decency to use them." It was clear she was teasing, but only if you'd spent some time getting to know her.

"Like you girls have any room to talk the way you are with _yours_ ," Jubilee laughed.

"We do," Peggy defended. "Steven is respectful."

"Because he's afraid to get a stapler to the face," Skye muttered low with a little smirk.

"This is entirely true," Kate agreed as Peggy gave them both a look.

"Have you heard anything from the spiders today?" Jubilee asked conversationally.

"They were through earlier," Peggy told her. "They didn't stay long, though. Something about fresh air."

"Maybe they'll actually come back engaged this time," Jubilee giggled Skye's way. "That seems to be the thing to do right now, huh?"

"Yeah, everyone's making up for lost time," Skye agreed with a look that clearly told her to drop it — not that Jubilee was going to give it any heed.

"So... when are Coulson and May going to get with it?" Kate teased, bumping Skye's shoulder with hers.

Skye just laughed for a long stretch, stopped, looked over at Kate, and started to laugh again. "Yeah, that's not happening. We'll see Fitzsimmons step up first."

" _Fitzsimmons_ , really?" Kate said, dissolving into laughter at the idea. "You had to pretty much push them into _kissing_ , let alone… _really_?"

"They do well learning by example," Skye said.

"Well, considering the fact that we've got two weddings… three if Pete can avoid deer..."

Noh was just barely hiding his expression behind one hand. "Oh. Yes. Three. Absolutely."

"I think your stylist needs a break," Skye said, pulling off a very believable look of confusion as she frowned Noh's way.

"He's just excited," Jubilee giggled. "So, so many weddings coming up."

"It's really lovely," Noh agreed, trying and failing to hide his laugh.

"Is this like … fashion backlog or something?" Skye asked. "They've been unable to work for so long and now they're all broken?"

"Gotta be," Kate agreed.

"Don't you have a date yet?" Peggy asked, gesturing at the ring on Skye's hand. "Or are you afraid of the fashion backlog?"

"Um …" Skye frowned for a moment as she looked at the ring and tried to come up with a fair answer. "...nothing we're ready to share yet, no."

"That sounds like a yes," Kate said, straightening up a bit and looking interested.

"It's still under discussion," Skye replied.

"Well, once you've decided, let us know," Peggy said. "We'd all like to be there for it."

"Well… yeah," Skye said with a little nod before she looked toward Noh and Jubilee. "Unless, of course, he wins out and it's just an eloping kind of thing."

"Kurt would kill you both," Kate pointed out.

"Jubilee would help," Peggy added. "The _line,_ after all."

"Yes, we wouldn't want to mess with that," Kate had to agree, and Noh shook his head at both of them. And it wasn't long at all before the conversation had gone right back to the wedding planning.


	44. Logan Finally Gets a Happy Ending

**Notes: Omg y'all. We're at the end of this volume, and the next one that goes up, "Consent of the Governed," will be the last in this universe. What a ride!**

* * *

 **Chapter 44: Logan Finally Gets a Happy Ending**

* * *

 _April 19_

 _Howlett Manor_

* * *

For the most part, the "business" of ending the war had been handled in the Capitol by Maria Hill and Nick Fury — with public declarations and promises that _all_ the citizens, Capitolite and districts alike, would work together in the new Marvel, that kind of thing.

But there were still a few things to wrap up with the Tahiti program, as well as with the victors, which was how Nick Fury found himself in Howlett Manor, with even a few of the victors who had moved into their own homes joining them — like Groot, who walked there from his own little garden home.

Fury sighed as he waited for all of them to settle in for the announcements. When everyone finally seemed to be gathered up, he simply started in a more relaxed tone than most of them had ever heard from him. "You _all_ — every one of you — are responsible for ending Thanos' reign," Fury started out. "And it's finally over. The royals are gone. Hydra is all but non-existent. I would be lying if I said they were gone entirely, but the result is what we needed. The war is over."

He gave it a moment for that to sink in, as several of them — mostly victors — looked as if they simply didn't believe it. And then he continued: "It's time for all of you to decide what it is you _want_ to do. As of today, your commitment to SHIELD has been more than fulfilled. You can go _home_."

"So, that's it?" Peter asked, his head tipped to the side. "Thanks for fighting — go home? It's that simple?"

"More or less," Fury said, nodding. "Your new director will send you all home with emergency call buttons — just in case, I'm sure."

"New director?" This time, it was Sam who spoke up, arms crossed and looking honestly surprised. "What, you decided peacetime doesn't agree with you? Off to find somewhere else to fight?"

"I'm retiring," Fury said. "Coulson will be stepping in as the new Director of SHIELD while AD Hill takes a shot at the political stage."

"Should have a decent shot, considering she's been running things anyway," Jess muttered over Logan's shoulder with a smirk.

"I'm sure I can count on some of you to speak out on her behalf — though of course, that is not mandatory," Fury replied in an even tone, though he was smirking at Jessica.

"And what if some of us want to stay in SHIELD?" Carol asked.

"You're welcome to do so," Coulson said — with Fury nodding in agreement.

"What about transportation?" Scott asked with his head tipped to the side. "Not everyone lives here. SHIELD should help with resettling, right?"

"Absolutely," Fury agreed. "And you're not restricted to your home district. Those walls and fences are being torn down for those districts that have not chosen to remain their own entity."

"Everyone but Seven, Three, and Four, then," Steve said.

"Yes, but all of them have agreed — any of you are welcome to stay there if you so choose," Fury said.

"Nick," Coulson said, waving him over. "How about we have a drink while the kids soak it in?" Fury smirked and looked out to the group as they started to liven up.

"I'm not done yet," Fury called out. "Don't wander off now." But he didn't need to worry too much about that — as the staff came out with champagne to celebrate the end of the war.

"What, did you suddenly remember there's another contractual something about booze?" America called out, though she didn't sound put off in the slightest and looked pleased by this turn of events.

As the group started to get louder, Logan made his way over to Kurt. "Got a second, Elf?"

"Always for you," Kurt said with a grin. "What's up?"

"I'll tell you somewhere a little quieter," Logan promised as he led him off away from the crowd. When they got down to the old library, Logan finally began to come clean. "Just needed to make sure you still wanted the best man job."

Kurt _beamed_ at him. "Of course I do!"

"Today?" Jubilee asked as she stuck her head out the door — though she didn't wait for an answer before she pulled him inside, where she had their suits waiting. "Because … there is a time limit, and if you say no, I'm pretty sure Peter will do it."

Kurt gaped at the prepared suits, his mouth hanging slightly open before he turned to Logan and _hit_ him. "You waited to tell me until just _now_?" he demanded, still somehow grinning even though he _sounded_ angry.

"What? You don't like surprises?" Logan asked with a perfectly innocent expression. "Wasn't my idea — but I figured it's better than tryin' to draw people back for this."

"I love surprises, but Logan…!" Kurt started to shake his head. "I… you can't just _spring this_ on a person!"

"Truth be told, I don't see why not."

"Because I … I'd like to _say_ something, and you've…" Kurt paced a small circle before he threw his hands in the air.

"You're quick," Logan said. "I'm sure you'll come up with something."

"Oh, I will," Kurt promised, shaking his head as he finally turned toward Logan again and this time threw his arms around his friend in a warm hug.

"He's just upset he didn't think of it," Jubilee said from behind Kurt as she held up his suit. "Dramatic."

"I have a certain flair," Kurt countered as he took the suit from her to look it over. "You, on the other hand... you knew about this for a while."

"A few weeks, yes," Jubilee said, nodding her head. "Even if it should have happened _months_ ago."

"I can't believe it," Kurt said, making a show of looking betrayed Logan's way.

"I would apologize — but I don't think I can," Logan replied.

"The words would stick in your mouth," Kurt teased.

"Just can't physically form them. In any combination."

"You should get that seen to. I hear your bride is friends with a brilliant pair of scientists," Kurt chuckled.

Logan chuckled. "Who are probably losing their minds right about now. Or … one of 'em, anyhow."

"They share a mind, so of course they're both losing it," Kurt laughed.

The two of them changed quickly and let Jubilee work them over, though Kurt couldn't stop grinning. "How mad will Kate be, do you think?" Jubilee asked. "Seeing as her hawk-eyes missed it."

"Oh, furious, I'm sure," Kurt said with a laugh. "But she'll get over it when she and the rest of our friends celebrate this wedding."

What they didn't get to see — and what they would have _liked_ to have seen — was the sheer confusion on their friends' faces as Coulson and Fury began to shepherd the group as a whole out of the house into the little orchard. The cherry blossoms on the trees and covering the ground would have been enough — but when the other half of Team Awesome saw Kurt and Logan standing in suits in the end of the trees …

Kate broke into a squeal of delight even as she looked somehow betrayed at the same time, and you could have scraped Peter's jaw off the floor with a shovel. Gwen looked like she was barely keeping back her giggles at Peter's expression, and on the other side of the crowd, May wasn't bothering to hide the fact that she was laughing quietly at Fitz, who looked like you could have bowled him over with a feather.

The group made their way to take seats quickly, and Logan had to laugh when Fury came down to stand in the minister's spot. "This has got to be your specialty or something," he chuckled as Fury couldn't help but smile back at him.

When the crowd was settled properly — though the laughing and good cheer was high — Jemma and then Skye finally came out. Peggy was shaking her head, since several suggestions that Honey had made to her about her dress had made their way to Skye. She had to wonder now how many of those questions really were for her.

Skye was grinning like she might split her face open, with Coulson didn't bother to hide his own smile as he walked her down to Logan and gave Skye a little squeeze before he stepped back.

"Got _all_ the directors involved," Skye whispered to Logan once she was there, laughter sparkling in her gaze.

"Kind of a requirement, I think," he countered with a smirk.

"You two are awfully damned impatient," Fury said low for the two of them. "Did I make a mistake listing Coulson right off the bat?"

"No, he'll be perfect interim," Logan shot right back.

"I can be patient for a little while longer on _that_ ," Skye agreed with a little laugh.

"I heard," Fury said with a significant look and a shake of his head before he finally kicked it off.

The ceremony itself was pretty straightforward, though the bride and groom both were sure to keep their backs to the crowd at the speak now section... since Fury was glaring, and they were trying to _not_ laugh outright.

And, of course, once the two of them kissed as bride and groom — the whole group burst into applause.

To no one's surprise, the other members of Team Awesome were quick to catch up to the newly minted couple, and no one was surprised when Kate hit Logan in the shoulder. Hard. "You goon! Why didn't you _tell_ anyone?"

"Mostly for the look on your face," Logan replied with a completely troublemaking smirk. "And the fact that Petey here probably still has another ten, fifteen minutes before he can string two words together."

Peter just shook his head at Logan, still wide-eyed, though that wasn't helping his case in the least, and Kate had to laugh. "Okay, that part's true," she said. "But seriously!"

"Hey. I'm just impressed that Kurt was able to keep the secret for all of … oh. Two minutes."

"That's as long as I knew," Kurt said, as much to Kate as to anyone else. He shook his head. "If you'd told me… I could have prepared!"

"You would have told Kate," Logan said. "And we'd have been deprived of her reaction." He turned to Kate and smiled. "Next secret _you_ get first, Trickshot."

"Oh good, because otherwise, we'd be having _words_. I'd like to not have gray hairs before I get married."

"How about we take it inside?" Skye suggested. "As I understand it, the training room is back to its old glory. I don't think Noh has slept in a week."

"That doesn't surprise me," Kate laughed as she turned her attention to Kurt and pulled her arm through his. "And you know he'll have the best dancing music in the whole country."

"That would match with Noh's promises, yes," Kurt agreed.

She laughed as the group hit the ballroom — which was indeed totally decked out in preparation for the party. Noh already had some music going as everyone started to gather, though when Skye and Logan entered, he switched to a different song — a waltz — and waved at them both with a cheeky grin.

"Ridiculous stylists," Logan muttered, though he let out a little sigh and went along with it.

"You love it anyway," Skye accused him with a crooked smile.

"I know fighting it is a bigger headache than just going with it," he countered. "And _you_ love it."

"I just love dancing with my man," she teased him.

"You're going to have to share tonight," he warned. "I'm sure we _both_ have questions to answer a few dozen times over."

"Have you been getting questions yet?" she asked, genuinely wondering.

"No time yet, but they'll come, I'm sure."

She let out a sigh and shook her head. "We should tell them," she said.

"Your call," he said — not giving any indication one way or the other what he thought of it.

"Good, then I call 'not it' with the Team Awesome reveals," she said with a grin.

He gave her a dry look. "Not nice, director," Logan said. "But … alright. I got it."

"You're not scared of your own team, are you?" she had to tease.

"Oh," he said with a genuine laugh. "No way. You want to tell them tonight or just before they go?"

"Oh no, we can't wait _that_ long," she said. "Then we won't get the full effect!"

"True," he said. "Alright. Just … watch Kate when I dance with her then."

Skye grinned and kissed his cheek. "I won't have to watch. I'll hear it."

"Great. You get to tell Noh," he said. "He and Jubes haven't been clued in, and I think he'll be more dramatic."

"Ooh, good point," Skye had to laugh. "Leave it to you to find the only other option that'll be more ridiculous than your teammates."

"Well, when you put it like that ... I don't think Scott and Clara know either. And they _like_ you."

"Mac and Heather know. I'm _sure_ Scott's not far behind," Skye pointed out, then sighed. "But … yeah, I'll tell him and Clara. Good babysitting material, all things considered," she had to tease.

"Fair point," he agreed before he gave her a long kiss, stopping the dance almost entirely.

When the waltz ended, Noh announced that Skye would now be dancing with her "father," which had her looking confused for all of a second before Coulson stepped in and pulled her into a surprisingly sweeping and graceful waltz, which she laughed most of the way through, especially at the overly proud expression on his face.

"You too, Logan," Heather said, tapping him on the shoulder and settling into a dancing position as soon as he turned her way.

"You're not crazy enough to play mother to me," he teased. "Close … but not quite."

"This is _not_ a mother/son… it's a cousin/cousin dance," Heather said with a sniff.

"Uh huh. Hudson … It could count."

"Just dance with me and try to resist the urge to call me 'Mom.'"

He smiled her way, kissed her cheek, and pulled her into an easy waltz. "You got it, Granny."

"You're horrible," she said, laughing anyway.

When the song had finished, Skye, in the meantime, had gone from laughing through the dance to just… _enjoying_ herself, especially when she saw that Mac was dancing with May and _waiting_ for the chance to steal her up — and for May to steal Logan.

"You all love this," she accused Coulson, and he grinned and nodded.

"It's kinda hard not to," he replied.

"Especially when it means we get to see the soft and cuddly side of our brand new director," Skye said before she abandoned the dance to wrap him in a hug. "Congrats, AC. Or… I guess DC now."

"Cute," he said, though he couldn't hide the smile.

"Doesn't roll off the tongue the same way 'AC' does," Skye laughed.

"My turn," Mac said over her shoulder. "Come on, Director Dad; don't hog all the fun."

"Oh, I am _so_ calling him that now," Skye said with a huge grin.

"He'll love it every time," Mac promised as he took her hand and spun her out onto the floor, though he wasn't nearly as fancy or pulled together as Logan and May were. "Your mom .. looks like she's taking it as a challenge."

"She takes everything as a challenge," Skye pointed out.

"Ah, but she doesn't have her game face entirely on," Mac said softly. "And Logan's going full snooty on her."

"He's having fun," Skye said with a huge grin.

"Hey, worst kept secret?" Mac said. "If he can pick on someone... he's having fun."

"Yeah, I know. I married him," Skye pointed out.

"Which just shows how much you like that insane approach," Mac said. "Welcome to the family."

She beamed at him. "It's crazy, but I think I'm gonna like it here." She glanced around the room. "Which… reminds me…. You haven't told Scott yet, have you?"

"No," Mac said. "We didn't know how he'd take it, and we figured he's old enough that you can tell him on your own time. He'd appreciate hearing it from you two instead of secondhand anyhow."

"Yeah." She let out a breath. "Think you could stand to let us borrow him sometimes? Seeing as I've got to keep up the directorial duties and I'll need someone to help with the little one?" she teased.

"I think if you stay here in Seven, you'll have trouble keeping him away once the three of you are established."

"You underestimate the amounts of denial he's in about whether or not Logan even _likes_ him," Skye laughed. "But if Clara knows too… you might be right."

"Well, once you have your little one, Josh will probably be asking him to walk him over … all the time."

"He's just like his dad," Skye said, squeezing Mac's arm with an affectionate grin.

Mac beamed at her as the song came to an end, and she found herself turning toward both Scott and Kurt. And considering the agreement she'd made with Logan, she gave Kurt a wide grin and took Scott's arm. "Maybe next time," she called out, pulling Scott out to dance.

"You're enjoying messing with all of them," Scott accused her with a smile.

"Whaaat? No," she said with a broad grin. "Does that sound like me? What?"

"Oh yeah. Nothing like you at all," he said, shaking his head at her.

"So are you going to dance with me or lecture me?" Skye asked with a little laugh.

Scott chuckled and offered his hand to take her out in a simple waltz. "Far be it from me to say no to the bride on her big day," he said, though they didn't get far at all before he ended up bursting out laughing as Logan finished his own dance with May with a complicated little dip that had May openly _giggling_. "Oh, that's beautiful."

"Agent Melinda 'badass' May _giggling_ or the little kiss on her cheek? You'll have to specify," Skye said, outright laughing.

"Can't I just appreciate the whole thing? All of it?" Scott asked.

"Oh, absolutely."

Meanwhile, Logan was smiling at May as she shook her head at him. "You're lucky we're not purposely trying to get a reaction or something," he told her as they headed off the dance floor toward Coulson.

"Oh, of course you were," she laughed.

"Worth it," he replied.

"That's the name of the game today with you two, isn't it?" she teased. "You know Fitzsimmons hasn't recovered enough to even _think_ , right?"

"Parker hasn't quite gotten his footing yet either," Logan pointed out. "And Kate and Kurt haven't gone much beyond hitting me and the same 'what the hell' between the two of them."

"I think they thought they'd be the first out of your team," May chuckled.

"Sorry to disappoint," he said.

"I'm not complaining," she said, squeezing his arm for a moment before she halfway pushed him toward his friends. "Now go make it up to them," she teased.

"How?" he asked with a frown, though he was pulling a familiar cigar out of his front pocket that he had obviously stolen from Fury. "He was only carrying one."

"He's got other ways to relax," May said with a smirk. "Coming up very soon."

"Yeah, well," he tipped his head toward where Fury was chatting with Xavier — and patting his pockets searching for the cigar. "Let's see how that works out for him until then."

May simply laughed at him again before she left him with Kate and Kurt in search of another dancing partner — knowing she wouldn't get through the night in peace if she didn't dance with the new director.

Logan got enough time to light the cigar and get a good couple of puffs before he made his way the last few steps to Kate, Kurt, Peter, and Gwen.

"Is that why you asked him to officiate? So you could get your fix?" Gwen teased.

"This?" Logan said, as he held up the cigar. "No. I had no idea he was doing that."

"Oh come on," Kate said, shaking her head. "You were the _only_ ones who knew!"

"Nope," Logan replied, with a smirk. "That was Skye's idea, apparently."

"Ah. Had to give the director one last directorly duty," Kate giggled. "Gotta give her credit for the poker face."

"She's been workin' on it," he agreed. "She'll be able to pull one over on just about anyone before too long the way she's going."

"Good thing, too. I heard you have to have a good game face to be director of SHIELD."

"You have no idea," Logan replied with a troublemaking smile. "She's makin' leaps and bounds."

"Which is impressive, because she had _no_ game face earlier."

"Just had to raise the stakes," Logan said as Fury made his way over to the group, gave them all a look, and took the cigar from Logan. Fury simply turned and walked away as Logan chuckled at the former director's retreating form. "Well. Better'n nothin."

"Can't smoke while you're dancing anyway," Kate decided as she pulled him out onto the floor. "Come on — let's show up Scott and your girl. I don't think he has any moves."

"Shouldn't be too hard," he said with a smirk. "Kid's never had to dance before."

"Then we'll go easy on him," Kate agreed with a nod.

As they fell into a little rhythm, Logan and Skye shared a little glance, and he turned back to Kate, who was giggling to herself. "So. You're up for the next big secret, it seems. How long should it take before I come up with something high quality for you?"

Kate laughed at him. "Try not to rush on _my_ account," she teased. "I can only take so much at a time."

"That's unfortunate," he replied, shaking his head. "I thought you were tougher than that, Trickshot."

She rolled her eyes. "You and I both know I'm tough as nails, Wolverine."

"You _just_ said you can only take so much at a time," he pointed out.

"I was _teasing_ , you goon!" she laughed.

"We'll see about that," he said before he leaned forward to whisper to her: "I got another one for you if you're up to it."

She matched him, leaning in. "I can keep a secret."

"Can you keep a poker face too?"

"Depends on the secret," she laughed.

"Fair enough," he agreed, then went back to a more natural stance for the dance. "You two know where you're goin' or are you stayin' in Seven?"

"Actually, Scott offered to help us find a place here," Kate admitted. "We're still thinking about it, obviously, but…"

"If you don't find one you like, you can always use the cabin," he pointed out.

"True," Kate said. "And that would keep us close — you know, in case you decide to make our lives more interesting. Again."

"Yeah, I figure either way, you'll want to be around in November," he said, nodding.

"For your birthday?" she asked.

"And Kurt's," he said, still nodding. "And the baby …"

Kate was nodding along until he got there — and then did a full-on double take. "Wait… what?" she asked, blinking at him openly.

"Did I stutter?"

Kate just stared at him for a long time before she _smacked_ him. "You can't. Do. Things. Like. This," she said, punctuating each word with a hit. "Without. Telling. People."

"Which part?" he asked, laughing by that time at how she'd devolved straight to physical violence.

"How long have you known?" she shot back.

"Long enough," he said.

"You…!" Words seemed to fail her for a moment before she tackled him to the ground, giggling with happiness.

And on the other side of the dance floor, Skye was _laughing_. Hard.

"He's on a roll," Scott said with a smirk as Skye clutched her sides. "Though May was the more impressive win."

"Well, maybe, maybe not," Skye managed to get out between breaths. "May already knew. Kate .. just found out we're having a baby too."

Scott stopped laughing to turn her way before he broke into an honest-to-goodness grin. "That explains _so_ much," he said before he grabbed her and spun her in a hug. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks," she said, hugging him tightly. "This whole thing would have happened a lot sooner if Viper hadn't snatched him up, though."

"Yeah, Viper threw a wrench in a lot," Scott said with a sigh.

"No, you don't get it," Skye said, grinning crookedly at him. "He had the ring made _before_ Viper took him."

Scott blinked at her for a moment before he had to shake his head and laugh. "Then this is _long_ overdue," he said, nodding.

"You see?" she said, laughing again. " _Now_ you get it."

Kurt had finally made his way over to where Kate was still berating — good naturedly — and hitting Logan. "What is going on?"

"She's mad her poker face don't cut it," Logan said, laughing.

"I'm mad he and Skye didn't _tell_ anyone about the fact that they're _having a baby_ ," Kate countered, still hitting him as Kurt just _stared._

"No game, Trickshot. No game at _all._ Disqualified for AD."

"I didn't want the position anyway," Kate said haughtily.

"Good, because you're not qualified. Obviously," Logan replied, back to a perfect straight face, if not for the fact that his eyes were still dancing with trouble.

"When?" Kurt finally asked, his voice almost scratchy.

"November," Logan said. "Ish. _Might_ be December."

Kurt started to laugh as, instead of hitting Logan, he wrapped him in another hug. "That's _wunderbar_."

"Nice to see someone take the news without hitting me," Logan teased.

"I think my fiance has that covered," Kurt chuckled.

"I'm sure as soon as Clint hears about it, he'll have a pool going," Logan said, as he noticed that Peter — again — was completely speechless.

"Or Wade," Kate pointed out. "He's already got one in the works for Steve and Peggy on how long it'll take them."

"So he had them pegged first?" Logan asked.

"No, but the betting's ramped up with the wedding and all," Kate said.

"Who'd he have first?"

Kate flushed, and Kurt turned slightly pink. "Us," she admitted.

"That I could see," Logan said, nodding.

"Yeah, well, at any rate, the betting's blown with you two," Kate said with a shrug.

"Not for first _after_ the wedding, though," he pointed out.

"This is true. Give him that to run with before you break his little heart," Kate laughed.

"I'll let _you_ tell him," Logan said.

"Yes, well." Kate shrugged. "Once I tell Clint, that'll be covered anyway."

"Which … will be what? Another two, three minutes with you ready to sign it out?"

Kate chuckled. "Just about," she said.

But Kate didn't quite get the chance to do that as Noh paused the music —this time to announce that it was time for Skye and Logan to do the bouquet and garter tosses — and Skye came bounding over to get Logan, who was still on the ground from the hitting and hugging, with a huge grin on.

"You seem to like it down there," she teased as she offered him a hand up.

"She's just mad she won't make the short list for AD," he replied as he got to his feet.

"I thought we already picked my AD," she teased.

"You're supposed to let them get into a fight over it," he chuckled. "She'd wipe the floor with him."

"Aww, be nice. You can get your entertainment elsewhere," she laughed as she kissed his cheek.

"We're in agreement on that then, eh?" Logan asked with one eyebrow raised. "Since Noh's insisting on the stupid … whatever."

"Oh yeah." She nodded seriously. "It's _gotta_ happen."

"I won't change plan unless you do," he said, already trying to figure out how to _make_ their little plan pull together.

She chuckled as she grabbed her flowers from Jubilee, grinning as she motioned for the girls to gather. She didn't wait too long, though, and as soon as she had half an eye on Jemma Simmons, she pegged Simmons with the bouquet, straight in the center of the chest. Simmons let out a little 'oh' of surprise and blushed a brilliant scarlet, which had Skye chuckling to herself.

The guys and the garter were even more ridiculous. Instead of a toss, Logan just headed right for Fitz — who Clint and Quill had made sure stayed up front — and pressed it into his hands with a _look_ that had both Fitz and Simmons blushing while Logan's accomplices were in stitches.

"So? Get with it, guys!" Skye managed to get out through her giggles, which only had both of her friends turning an even deeper purple than before.

"Oh yeah, you definitely picked right, Logan," Quill teased as he put a hand on his friend's shoulders. "She loves to pick as much as you."

"Watch out or you'll be on her list too," Logan warned. "She's always had a thing for paying attention to old victors' gossip. And you know … there was a lot of talk about a star-prince not too long ago."

Quill stopped and gave Logan a look. "There's no reason to be mean."

"I'm not. At least the girl you're with now is cute," Logan pointed out.

"She's more than that," Quill said, relaxing a little and grinning outright.

"Yeah, then what are you so touchy about?" Logan asked.

"Just didn't think you of all people would even be _at_ a wedding," Quill admitted.

"You really think I'm going to let that witch have any long-term damage on me if I can avoid it?" Logan asked. "I was gonna ask Skye last fall before … well... Viper happened."

"Yeah. Viper." Quill shook his head and then seemed to shake the rest of himself. "Anyway, congrats. Try not to give everyone else _too_ much to gossip about, huh?"

"Probably too late on that mark," Logan said with a shrug. "Not that I ever cared much about the gossip."

"Mostly because you were the one getting to do the fun stuff like break it up and screw with the royals," Quill pointed out with a smirk.

"You coulda done that," he countered. "Didn't have to wait for me."

"Oh yeah. Eighteen and skinny in the palace… real good setup for being intimidating."

"I was only eighteen," he replied with a frown. "Ish. Nineteen I guess when it was screwing with them."

"Not skinny though."

"Can't help that I _worked_ before the Games, either."

"True that," Quill had to nod. He clapped Logan on the shoulder again. "Well, if you don't mind, I'm gonna find my girl and get out before the 'who's next' starts up, huh?"

"We already know who's next. You're safe," Logan replied. "But go find a nice quiet corner anyhow."

"You should do the same. Tell the people running this place to hurry it up with the rice throwing so you can be off making little Wolverines," Quill teased.

"Oh. That's already settled."

Quill stopped and turned his way. "Wait.. when?"

Logan sighed and shrugged one shoulder just a little in preparation for the now familiar assault. "November. Early December. Somewhere."

"You're kidding." Quill was just staring at him.

"Nah. The wedding thing would have been in the books a lot quicker too. Loose ends. All that."

"You tell anyone yet?" Quill asked.

"Kinda what we're doin'," he admitted. "Kate tried to beat me half to death for it."

"Oh, is _that_ what was happening?" Quill laughed.

"She mighta still been a _little_ bit tweaked she didn't know about the wedding."

"But the look on Fury's face," Quill chuckled.

"First time I believed it when someone said I was on the favorites list," Logan smirked.

Quill laughed and shook his head at Logan. "Well, congrats. Go spoil that woman. The jokes will be horrible, I'm sure, seeing as I'm gonna be making half of 'em."

"You got a head start," he said. "Petey still ain't said a word."

"He's in shock," Quill chuckled. "Can't believe he's witnessing the beginning of a whole line of directors with bad senses of humor."

"And zero poker faces, if they follow their mom," Clint added, draping his arms around both Logan and Quill before he outright gave Logan a kiss on the cheek. "Congrats, by the way."

"Thanks," he replied turning to look at him. "So should she have given the flowers to Nat?"

"Yeah, don't go pushing that fast. We only _just_ started dating, speed demon."

"Hey. You've been making eyes at her since you were a kid," Logan said with a shrug. "And believe it or not, she _was_ interested. Even way the hell back then. Just too damn proud to admit it."

"Well, I _am_ an embarrassment," Clint said with a crooked grin and a laugh.

"That sounds suspiciously like a cue," Quill said with a sloppy grin.

Clint laughed and shook his head at Quill. "Don't get your hopes up." He gave them both a two fingered salute. "See you 'round."

For the next little while, the focus was mainly on just dancing and enjoying themselves as Mrs. O'Malley brought out the most _spectacular_ cake. And as the new couple took a second to dig in, Clint was sure to pull Wade aside, point him by the shoulders toward Logan and Skye, and whisper in his ear exactly what was up.

Wade pressed both hands over his mouth to barely contain himself, and the only reason he hadn't rushed over yet was that Logan and Skye were doing _important wedding things._ But still… as soon as the rest of the guests were invited to have some of the cake and Logan and Skye stepped back…

 _Wham._

Wade tackled Logan flat to the ground and outright kissed him, giggling with happiness. "Oooh! OOOOH! Baby Wolverine!" he cackled the whole way down.

"Get _off_ , you lunatic," Logan growled out, pushing to get away from him as best he was able.

"Teeny tiny itty bitty _Wolverine_!" Wade sang as he hugged Logan tighter.

"No, no, mini director," Clint called out to Wade, though that set off a whole round of laughter all over again.

"This — this is entirely true!" Wade declared as, finally, he let go of Logan to rush over to Skye and spin her around in a hug; she looked almost resigned to the fact that he was going to grab her.

"Easy, big guy," Skye said as Wade picked her up.

Wade giggled delightedly and kissed her cheek. "Yes, yes, no tackling for you and the itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot director."

"I shoulda stabbed him," Logan muttered, getting up from the ground. Again.

"And gotten blood on Jubilee's good work?" Skye teased as she patted Wade's arm to get him to let go.

"I'd risk it," Logan said with a nod.

"Yes, but I want you _alive_ for the honeymoon," she teased.

"Gonna take more than a pissed off kitten."

Skye laughed as Clint finally came to rescue her from Wade, and then she slipped over to Logan to give him a kiss. "Well, I think everyone knows now. That was easy."

"Just had to let the loudspeaker know," he agreed.

"The archer or the lunatic?" she laughed.

"They make a good couple," Logan pointed out.

"They really do," she agreed, laying her head on his shoulder as May signalled the two of them to come over for their escape.

"What now?"

May smirked as the two of them got closer. "If you want to get your flight out, now's the time," she told them.

"Flight to _where_?" Logan said. "Not like there's anywhere reasonable to go. Still have Hydra and nutjobs everywhere."

"How about somewhere a little unreasonable?" May asked with a crooked grin. "Say, oh, Hawaii?"

"That … since when is that even an _option_?"

"Since it's a stop on Fury's way to Tahiti," May told him. "So it's a bit of a now or never kind of thing."

"Is this an actual 'get out' or a 'get out there's work to do' kind of thing?" Logan asked, understandably suspicious.

May gave him a dry look. "Would I do that to Skye?"

"Yes," they both said in unison.

"You two have a horrible opinion of me. It's your _wedding day_ ," she said, shaking her head. "I promise: no strings. Just sandy beaches away from Hydra and anyone else. Do you want it or not?"

"Of course," Skye said, this time with a good deal more excitement.

"I guess that's a yes," Logan said with a shrug before he gave May a little kiss on the cheek. "Try not to terrorize the staff too much."

"No promises," she said with a smirk before she pushed them toward the door. "Come on, move it — Noh and Jubes have glitter to pour on you," she said, not nearly giving them enough time after that statement as said glitter was already being poured as soon as she started the sentence.

"Conspiracy," Skye said, laughing outright at the attack of yellow and blue glitter everywhere.

"You know it!" Jubilee called out over their shoulders, giggling.

The pair of them had enough time to change and grab a few things before they headed out with Fury, who was in an incredibly good mood himself.

"Retirement already suits you," Skye teased Fury as she climbed into the jet.

"And you two look like you just left a rave, not a wedding," Fury replied.

"Well, dress for the weather," she said, settling down comfortably. "Don't tell me you don't have board shorts tucked away in your bag somewhere."

Fury just chuckled as he leaned back in the pilot seat. "Something like that, yes."

Skye smirked a little wider at that before she leaned into Logan and closed her eyes. "Totally worth it," she whispered to him, and he chuckled and held her a bit closer — both of them ready to put Marvel behind them for a little while and focus on each other.


End file.
